YouTube has always been my go-to option for listening to music. However, what irks me the most is the “Video paused. Continue watching?” pop-ups that show up every 30 minutes. But after taking another look, I think it makes sense (for YouTube, not for us users).
Why does YouTube implement this feature?
- To save mobile data and battery when you’re asleep or away (but why doesn’t the app have a timer feature?)
- To save bandwidth: prevent people from leaving the videos playing while they’re asleep. Given the size of YouTube’s user base, this probably could reduce a significant amount of cost.
- To nudge people into subscribing to YouTube Premium/Google Music service. You can turn off your mobile screen and continue listen to YouTube videos (free users can’t do so). You won’t get the “Continue watching?” pop-up if the screen is off.
- To make it fair for advertisers. As some ads are pay-per-view, people listening but not viewing means advertisers are paying for nothing. And if the ads are pay-per-click, letting your users look away will lead to fewer clicks.
What if YouTube allows users to disable the notification?
- YouTube might become a radio station. But YouTube runs visual ads, not the ones designed for radio. So advertising would be less effective.
- And some artists and music record labels may not feel comfortable providing music for free without anything in return. People will be less likely to click the promotion links in the description section, or at the end of a video.
Netflix has this feature, too. But they implement it in a way that is much more pleasant for users: they only ask at the end of an episode, not in the middle of a clip like YouTube. I guess “bothering free users” is the goal here for YouTube.