As content creators, we can somewhat appreciate YouTube asking, “Are you still watching?” every couple of hours. However, if you want peaceful sounds, the pause in the content may be annoying. We’re sharing how to disable “Are you still watching” on YouTube and keep you listening to your favorite sounds for 8, 10, or 12 hours if you want.
The YouTube video will continue until you stop it. Thus, you can enjoy that TV show without constantly fiddling with your remote control.
We searched social media, all the TikTok videos, the most popular websites with conversations, and the YouTube app itself before realizing that, oh yeah, YouTube wants you to watch YouTube videos.
They want to serve the ads to actual people, so they do not offer a feature to disable the question or any other way out of this. Looking at different videos is a great way to keep us there. We get it.
It’s like ads on a website. Something has to pay the bills. However, we are offering a general workaround for help. We love those.
Why is YouTube asking if you are still watching?
The platform is checking whether they need to continue rolling out those intrusive ads for you. Every time an ad is run, YouTube pays. Stop the bleeding by asking, “Hey, you, are you still watching this? Because if you’re not, we need to plug this leak!”
If you don’t respond or are not watching/listening, the video will pause on the screen. You can always resume playback by pressing play or another button on the remote to let YouTube know you are still watching.
How to Disable That Prompt From YouTube: “Are You Still Watching?”
It is early 2026, and we have confirmed that our method for disabling this annoyance remains the fix. We still use this method and have not encountered any issues. If you encounter an issue with the technique, try it again. It works.
1. The YouTube Premium Route
If you subscribe to YouTube Premium (about $14/month), you have a one-way line to Peaceville. You can remove the prompt and disable all commercials. The monthly fee isn’t worth it to us now that we have an out.YouTube NonStop is your best friend!
2. Desktop- How to turn off YouTube, “Are you still watching?”
There is an easy way to stop YouTube from asking that annoying auto question. This is the easiest way for a desktop computer or laptop.
You can disable this on your desktop computer using a web browser extension. There is a Chrome extension called YouTube NonStop that is designed specifically to disable this type of behavior. So, how do you implement this?
- Open Chrome Web Store from your desktop browser
- Search YouTube NonStop from the extension page.
- Click on the blue button- Add to Chrome.
- Select Add extension from the pop-up window.
- Voila! You are all set! Enjoy viewing/listening without being interrogated by YouTube.
3. Mobile- Solution for disabling the annoyance
Looking for a way to handle this on mobile phones? We gotcha!
Since the YouTube NonStop extension isn’t capable of working on cell phones via Google Chrome, you need to download a browser called “Kiwi,” which does allow extensions. You can find the Kiwi Browser in your app store. You will use Kiwi as your browser for YouTube after you complete the following instructions:
- Open the Kiwi browser from your mobile device.
- Tap on the three-dot menu button (top right) and select Extensions.
- Tap on + (from the store) or directly open the Chrome Web Store.
- In the search box (top left of screen), search YouTube NonStop and add the extension to the browser- blue box- add to Chrome.
- Voila! You are all set! Enjoy viewing/listening without being interrogated by YouTube.
Remember, this will only work on your mobile device if you open YouTube in the Kiwi browser, not Chrome.
We have Roku TV and have not found a workaround for landing on the YouTube app on Roku. Unfortunately, watching your favorite videos on Roku’s YouTube app will not be ad-free unless you are a premium subscriber.
Enjoy Your Interruption-Free YouTube Experience
We hope these helpful instructions provide a simple way to resume watching longer videos in peace. They can also help you listen to your favorite YouTube music in the background while you work. There isn’t much worse than something interrupting your song playlist.
If you’re like us, you use your mobile phone’s “Kiwi Browser” option to listen to your sleep sounds at night. We sure don’t want to wake up to silence or read the display with that ever-so-annoying question, right?!
Now that you know how to disable “Are you still watching?” on YouTube, share this with a friend. They will thank you, as most people seek a possible solution.
We’re all about DIY tricks. Read on if you want to see more of our DIY projects around our tiny bungalow.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
This solution works immediately after the browser extension is installed. Once enabled, YouTube videos can continue playing without triggering the “Are you still watching?” prompt.
No. You only need to use the Kiwi browser when using this workaround to watch YouTube videos. You can continue using your regular browser or apps for everything else.
No, this workaround does not currently work on the YouTube TV app or smart TV interfaces. YouTube does not allow extensions on TV-based platforms. Some users choose to cast their phone screen to a TV as a workaround, but results can vary.
