There was no way to lock the screen while watching YouTube videos. So users had to rely on 3rd-party apps. However, that required them to grant multiple permissions to these apps, potentially putting data and privacy at risk. YouTube released an update adding native support to lock the YouTube screen. Here’s how to lock the YouTube screen on iPhone and Android phones while watching videos.
Lock YouTube Screen on Android and iPhone
Putting a lock on YouTube videos is hardly a two-step process, and it’s incredibly easy to do. The steps are the same for both Android and iPhone. Here’s how it works:
1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or Android phone.
2. Next, open any video and then go to the full-screen mode.
3. Now that you’re in full-screen mode, tap on the Settings (Gear/cog icon).
4. Select the Lock screen option.
Note: If you don’t see the Lock Screen option in your YouTube app, you should update to the latest version.
There you go! Your YouTube video screen is now locked, with all your video controls elegantly hidden.
TIP: Learn how to take high-quality screenshots from YouTube videos.
If you wish to unlock the YouTube screen, simply tap anywhere on the screen, and then Tap to unlock button will appear. Tap on it and your YouTube screen will be unlocked.
When the YouTube screen is unlocked, you will see this screen.
The built-in lock feature works well. Say bye-bye to third-party apps that
Problems You May Face
Though the lock screen feature works flawlessly, we found a bug while testing the YouTube lock screen on our LG Wing phone.
What happens is that when you lock the screen while watching a YouTube video and then return to your phone’s home screen, the video switches to Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. When you press the full-screen button on the PiP video or reopen the app, the video defaults to portrait mode. This can make it difficult to unlock your YouTube video screen, and the only option is to return to full screen to enable auto-rotation.
However, during our testing on a Google Pixel 8 Pro, the video automatically transitioned from PiP mode to full screen. This bug may vary from one phone model to another, and you may not encounter this issue.
No More Accidental Pauses
While watching the YouTube video, you may accidentally close a video, skip the playlist, or click on another video. Thankfully, with the lock screen feature on YouTube, you can now peacefully binge-watch your favorite videos without any interruption.
By the way, for those who are new to YouTube or YouTube Music, we’ve provided explanations for each icon and symbol. Be sure to check it out.
