Seems Google is taking a firm stand against phone addiction or so it would seem. You would think that a company such as Google that literally makes more money when people use their phone more would introduce something like the YouTube take a break Feature.
That’s not even the first, Seems Google is trying to make people aware of their phone behavior and somewhat re-evaluate it if they choose to do so. Something similar is also on the newly released Android P Beta which tells you the amount of time you spend on your Smartphone. How much time you spend on each app and how many times you’ve unlocked your phone in the last 24 hours.
That’s not all. There are also a lot of other features on the Android P beta you can check out. You can also learn how to install Android P Beta on your Smartphone, that is if you have one of the supported devices. I’m starting to digress a little bit so let get back to YouTube take a break Feature.
The new Feature on YouTube’s Mobile App for Android and iOS helps you keep track of the amount of time you spend on the app. This is done by constantly reminding you of the time spent at a chosen interval. , his of course, can be adjusted to your preference.
I personally find this very useful as I would sometimes go to YouTube to watch just one video. And when I’m done watching that one I’ll click on another, and another and before i realize what is happening I’ve spent over 2 hours on YouTube which would have inevitably taken a chunk out of my data plan.
Thanks to this feature, you can now set a reminder. Like an alarm clock which would remind you when you’ve reach the stipulated time. You have 15, 30, 60, 90 and 180 minutes options to choose from or you can just turn it off altogether.
How To Use YouTube Take a Break Feature
This feature is only available on the latest version of the YouTube app. So make sure you check if your YouTube app is updated by heading straight to your respective stores. Google Play Store for Android devices and Apple App Store for iOS devices.
If it isn’t, then you would need to update it before following the procedure below.
- Open The YouTube App and Click On Your Profile Photo/YouTube account at the top right hand corner of your screen.
- Click On Settings.
- Select General.
- At the top of the screen, you should see the Remind Me To Take A Break.
- Click On it and you would see the Following:
Never
- Every 15 Minutes
- Every 30 minutes
- This is my favourite Every 60 minutes
- Every 90 minutes
- Every 180 Minutes
- Choose the one you want and that’s it.
Now the YouTube app would remind you to ‘Take a break’ at intervals depending on the timer you picked. For example, if you choose the 15 minutes option and go back to play a video or video longer than that, you would get a notification like the one in the picture below when the timer is reached.
You can either dismiss it and continue watching your video or you can click on Settings and change it. That is if you don’t want the take a break Feature disturbing you at intervals.
Conclusion
This was Just what I needed to cut down on my YouTube usage habit. No,w whenever I get the notification to take a break I immediately remember my data plan and quit the app.
If you are Connected to WiFi network or not bothered about your data plan. You can set to never and enjoy your YouTube video without pausing at intervals.
