YouTube added a ‘break reminder’ feature to remind you that you are spending too much time watching videos on the app.
YouTube Take a Break Reminder
I can personally attest to how much time one can spend on YouTube, thinking you can watch one video and then being enticed to watch another. Thankfully, Google added a “take a break” reminder to tell us to stop and take a breather once in awhile.
The new feature is available in both Android and iOS. It has been out since Google I/O 2018, but in case you missed it (because I certainly did). Here are instructions on how to turn it on.
To turn on the break reminder, go to the YouTube app and tap on your account icon on the upper right corner of the screen. Then go to Settings. In Android, you have to go to General next. Look for “Remind me to take a break,” and toggle to turn it on. You will then be prompted to set a reminder frequency. And that’s it.
Related: YouTube dark mode rolling out to Android devices
Google notes that the timer only runs while you’re watching videos online on your phone. Pausing or closing a video will also pause the timer. If you close the YouTube app, log out, switch accounts, switch devices, or pause a video for more than 30 minutes, the timer will reset. Also, the timer does not run when watching offline videos or when casting from your phone.
