How to Address YouTube Shorts Autoplay Issues at App Startup

Some YouTube users have reported an intermittent glitch where the app automatically begins playing a Short immediately upon opening. While Google has not officially acknowledged or provided a patch for this specific behavior, several community-led workarounds exist to help users manage their viewing experience.

Managing Shorts via Time Limits

One effective method involves the app’s digital wellbeing features to restrict Shorts exposure:

• Navigate to the You tab in the bottom menu.
• Tap the Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner.
• Adjust the Remind me to take a break or time management settings to restrict Shorts exposure.
• If you set a time limit, a prompt may appear that allows you to ignore the limit for the day if you choose to watch Shorts later.

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If the initial workaround does not resolve the behavior, users have explored various adjustments within the app settings:

• Disable Playback in Feeds: Navigate to Settings > General > Playback in feeds and toggle it off to prevent preloading.
• Turn Off Autoplay: In Settings > Playback, turn off 'Autoplay next video'.
• Clear Cache: Access your phone's main system settings, select Apps > YouTube > Storage & cache, and choose 'Clear cache'. Note that this is distinct from 'Clear storage,' which resets your account data.
• Deep Linking: You can bypass the home screen entirely by long-pressing the YouTube icon on your home screen and selecting 'Subscriptions' from the shortcut menu.

These methods are community-identified workarounds rather than official features designed to remove Shorts. Users are advised that some settings may impact other playback functionality across the app. For the latest official updates, monitor the YouTube Help Center or the Google Play Store for future app patches.