YouTube Not Working Here Are Quick Fixes To Try?

If you are wondering why YouTube is not working on your device then here is a quick guide to fix it. YouTube is the largest online video streaming service in the world with 400 hours of content uploaded every minute and has more than 1.5 million visits each month.

YouTube intermittent outages have increased in 2020-24 and whenever these outages happen the @TeamYouTube account usually announces this on Twitter within a few minutes of them becoming available. If you are wondering why YouTube is not working on a device even if you don't see a YouTube outage on the official Twitter feed, it's probably something that can be fixed.

YouTube not Working on Android and IOS Device

There are several reasons for experiencing a spotty connection on your iOS or Android smartphones or tablets. Few of them can be diagnosed with some quick actions like checking your internet connection or restarting your device as sometimes a simple device restart is all that is needed to clear up the issues of video streaming on YouTube.

1. Restarting Most iOS and Android Devices

• Press the power button on your device and hold it for 2 to 3 seconds.
• Tap the restart button appearing on the screen
• Confirm the restart and then open YouTube once the phone starts again.
• Play a video to check whether YouTube is working or not.

2. Updating the YouTube App

Sometimes people go without updating the YouTube app on their smartphone for a long period. So if there is any issue then check the Google Play Store or App store to see whether any updates of YouTube are available or not. If there is any update option then update your YouTube and check whether you can play the video now.

3. Clearing Cache of YouTube

If your YouTube is not working even after updating it then clear the cache in the next step. Clearing the cache of YouTube will help to get rid of all the app data including any custom setting

• Tap on the Settings icon on your device
• Tap on the apps option and scroll to find the YouTube
• Clear the cache by choosing the storage option.

4. Time and Date Settings

Even if it seems strange, do check the time and date setting on your device if YouTube is not working as Google's server may have trouble syncing with your device if it's not following the actual time and date. This mostly happens on your tablets or laptops as you move between time zones without an automatic time zone setting.

• Tap on the Settings icon on your device
• Tap on the date and time option
• Turn on the automatic date and time option
• YouTube not working due to internet issues

It might be due to the internet connection if you are still experiencing problems playing videos on YouTube. Check whether your device is connected to the internet by viewing your internet connection after opening the settings menu.

You may have a router issue if you're connected to a Wi-Fi network or you may be connected to a congested tower if you are connected to a cellular network. This problem can be solved by moving somewhere else to ease the issue in both of these cases.

YouTube not Working in the Browser

If you are trying to watch new videos in browsers like Firefox, Chrome or Safari and experiencing issues then here are the options to solve them.

1.  By Updating Your Browser

You should always have the latest version of YouTube no matter which browser or operating system you are using. Check whether you have the new version of Chrome Safari or Firefox by clicking on about and then built info.

2. By Checking Your Internet Connection

You should check your internet connection just like with Android and IOS devices. Try checking random sites by performing a search, if the sites are experiencing problems then it might be due to the poor internet connection but if only the YouTube is down then you know the problem exists somewhere else.

3. By Turning on JavaScript

Many ad blockers and privacy extensions turn off JavaScript by default so it must be enabled to watch youtube videos. Visit the browser setting to turn it on.

4. By Checking the Extensions

If YouTube is not working after enabling the JavaScript then you may have an extension conflict. Sometimes ad blockers and privacy extensions break how video players work so you need to add YouTube to the whitelist from the site or turn these extensions off to make it work properly. By playing YouTube in your browser's incognito mode you can diagnose this issue.