15+ Proven Fixes: YouTube Music Keeps Pausing

Someday, your YouTube Music started experiencing frequent pauses, like every few minutes. Then, when you turned to related discussions in some popular online communities, you realized that you were not alone and discovered how prevalent this issue was. After trying popular solutions such as rebooting, reinstalling, clearing caches, and updating the app, nothing worked, and only your patience waned. This is why we mark every solution with a success rate in this post — saving you from unnecessary attempts if you don’t have enough time to fix the YouTube Music pausing issue. Additionally, you will resonate with some picked-up comments while reading. Let’s move forward towards easily solving YouTube Music pausing on a frequent basis.

• Why Does YouTube Music Keep Pausing?
• Fix 1: Enable Unrestricted Battery Usage on YouTube Music
• Fix 2: Exclude YouTube Music from Auto Sleep
• Fix 3: Let YouTube Music Override Other Sounds
• Fix 4: Try YouTube Music Alternatives
• Fix 5: Refresh Offline Files in YouTube Music
• Fix 6: Reconnect Bluetooth Devices
• Fix 7: Verify YouTube Music's Network Connection
• Fix 8: Update YouTube Music & System
• Fix 9: Reinstall YouTube Music App
• Fix 10: Adjust YouTube Music's Audio Quality
• Fix 11: Restart YouTube Music App, Device, or Computer
• Fix 12: Clear YouTube Music Caches
• Fix 13: Free Up Device Storage
• Fix 14: Check for Account Conflicts
• Fix 15: Contact YouTube Music Support
• More Fixes: YouTube Music Keeps Pausing When Driving

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Why Does YouTube Music Keep Pausing?

For a couple of days, your YouTube Music has been stopping every few minutes. What happened? Don't panic. It's not because of a ghost trapped within your YouTube Music app, but rather technical reasons behind it, involving unstable network connections, device problems, settings issues, external device issues, copyright issues, etc. Anyway, who cares? The effective solution is what truly drives us to investigate why YouTube Music repeatedly pauses, to a lesser extent, we might consider a series of reasons that cause YouTube Music to malfunction.

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Fix 1: Enable Unrestricted Battery Usage on YouTube Music

Many YouTube Music users who face recurring pauses find this method effective. Ensure by checking your phone's settings that the YouTube Music app is exempted from battery optimization measures. If the app falls under these optimizations, your device might automatically close it during inactive periods, like when you're streaming music without screen interaction. Disabling this setting should address the pausing issue.

Enable Unrestricted Battery Usage on Android

• Step 1: Open YouTube Music Settings, then Apps, and select App Info.
• Step 2: Find YouTube Music in the list, go to its Battery settings, and enable the "Unrestricted" option.

The specific settings for battery optimization can vary among different phones. It's important to find the setting that controls app-specific optimizations, such as those for YouTube Music, rather than general Android battery settings. But the thing goes differently on an iOS device - there is no "Unrestricted" option. Let's take another strategy.

Disable Low Power Mode on iOS

• Step 1: Launch the "Settings" app, and navigate to the "Battery" section.
• Step 2: Next, turn off the "Low Power Mode" option.

Success Rate: 99%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "I am going to write your name in for President. This has been so helpful."
• 😄 "You are awesome. Thanks for the help. I have been having this issue for months."
• 😄 "This is the correct answer that absolutely solves the problem OP asked."
• 😄 "You. Absolute. Legend. I could kiss you."
• 😄 "Trying this and seems to help so far. Thanks."

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Fix 2: Exclude YouTube Music from Auto Sleep

If you notice a delay in music restarting when using Bluetooth headphones to control playback, as if the app is dormant, it can also lead to frequent pauses in your YouTube Music streaming. Ensure YouTube Music is not in deep sleep mode. Navigate to your phone's Settings and look for Battery or Deep Sleep sections. If YouTube Music is listed, tap on it and select "Enable" to prevent it from pausing songs to conserve background data usage. However, this solution applies only to Android devices, as iOS does not apply power-saving measures to audio-playing apps like YouTube Music.

• Step 1: Go to the "Settings > Battery and device care > Battery" on your phone.
• Step 2: Click "Background usage limits" and add YouTube Music to the "Never auto sleep apps" list.

Success Rate: 90%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "Life saver."
• 😄 "Big thanks to you, friend! This solved the same issue for me last night."
• 😄 "Damn, it works! Thanks for the info, friend."
• 😐 "For some reason, YouTube Music is missing from the list of apps exclusively "
• 😞 "The power usage fix didn't work for me. Galaxy note 20. Incredibly frustrating."

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Fix 3: Let YouTube Music Override Other Sounds

Based on some user feedback, YouTube Music doesn't pause without reason, but rather when the user switches to other apps like Reddit, the music playback is automatically paused. Additionally, when users open multiple apps simultaneously, YouTube Music may experience frequent stoppages in playback. This is typically a program-level issue where YouTube Music takes a backseat to other audio-producing apps when certain content is being played. Ads or videos played by other apps can take over the audio output of the phone. In response to this, we have the following suggestions:

Case 1: Use Sound Assistant

Samsung has an application called Sound Assistant (available through the Samsung Galaxy Store) that includes a setting that allows you to prioritize one app over others. Once you enable this feature for YouTube Music, you can enjoy uninterrupted music playback without worrying about other apps interrupting it. If you activate this function, in your volume panel, tap on the three dots icon, and you'll be presented with volume controls for the two currently playing apps. Above these controls, you should see a Bluetooth icon. Clicking on this Bluetooth icon will toggle between using your phone's speaker and the Bluetooth device you're currently connected to.

Success Rate: 90%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "I do this at work, playing music then watching videos on youtube at the same time."
• 😄 "Wow thanks it worked! Just what I was looking for."
• 😄 "Genius!"
• 😐 "It's a sound assistant but it's in the Galaxy Store, not the Google Play Store."

Case 2: Check Background Activity

Background apps may be consuming excessive resources, leading to stuttering issues with YouTube Music. It's crucial to manage these apps by closing any that are not currently in use. By doing so, you'll free up system memory and processing power, optimizing your experience with YouTube Music. Numerous apps and games have the tendency to automatically pause music playback or reduce its volume.

Success Rate: 80%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "Closed those auto-play apps, and now my tunes flow unstoppable!"
• 😄 "It allows on my xiaomi device."
• 😐 "Many apps and games automatically pause my music or turn the volume down."
• 😐 "Android doesn't allow two things playing audio at the same time."

Case 3: Fix YouTube Music Stops Playing When Switching to Reddit

Many users find that YouTube Music stops playing as soon as they open Reddit. This is actually due to a program conflict. Reddit automatically plays videos, taking over your audio output. Scroll to find a video on Reddit, then mute the volume (if it’s already muted, toggle it on and off again). This issue can be resolved.

Success Rate: 90%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "I only had this problem when I had videos set to auto-play. Thanks, this fixed it for me."
• 😐 "If your Reddit app is set to auto play video, it does that."
• 😞 "Reddit 's problem. It stops background media playing on both iOS and Android. Really annoyed."

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Fix 4: Try YouTube Music Alternatives

If you're on YouTube Music forums often, looking for fixes for YouTube Music's constant pauses, know not everyone's lucky. Some suggest trying other music platforms. The truth is if the issue persists with no fix, canceling YouTube Music and switching is best. Losing your playlists is a bummer, but we'll show you how to download and transfer them.

All music platforms, including YouTube Music, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, have set restrictions on music streaming using encryption technology. How to decrypt these music files is crucial. TuneCable BeatOne completely removes these obstacles and demonstrates the ability to convert music from popular music platforms and music websites into unencrypted local files.

Download YouTube Music in MP3 Formats

• Step 1: Download and install TuneCable BeatOne. Tap on "YouTube Music" to download songs.

• Step 2: Select a song, album, or playlist and open it. Tap on the "Click to add" button in the lower right corner.

• Step 3: Check the boxes next to the tracks you need and click "Add" to create a download list.

• Step 4: Click the "Settings" button in the left panel to adjust the output format, bit rate, sample rate, output folder, etc. Pay extra attention to the output format for compatibility. Typically, as suggested, MP3 files can be played on any device or imported to any media player.

• Step 5: If you want to include more songs, click "Add More." If you are satisfied with the download list, click "Convert" to begin the process.

• Step 6: Once the conversion is successful, the downloaded YouTube Music tracks and playlists will be stored on your local computer, facilitating free playback on any device via any media player.

Straightly, after you save YouTube Music as local MP3 files, you don’t need to import them into any music platform. After transferring these YouTube songs to your Android or iPhone, you can play them directly using your phone’s built-in music player without any restrictions and without using any data. You won’t have to worry about YouTube Music pausing repeatedly anymore.

Transfer YouTube Music to Spotify

In case you need it, we provide brief instructive operations. It won't be a trouble to import YouTube Music MP3s to Spotify for offline playback freely.

• Step 1: Open Spotify Music and click on your account name in the top-left corner.
• Step 2: Select "Settings".
• Step 3: Enable "Local Files".
• Step 4: Tap "Add a Source" and choose the music folder you want to import.
• Step 5: Select the folder and click "OK".
• Step 6: Go to "Your Library" in the left menu.
• Step 7: Find the "Local Files" section and open it to play your imported YouTube songs.

Success Rate: 100%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "TuneCable totally nailed it, turning all my YouTube playlists into MP3 magic. Now, error-free jamming, no sweat!"
• 😄 "Looks like downloading tunes as my own little treasure trove is the ultimate game-changer!"
• 😄 "Whoever dreamed up this tool, you're a lifesaver! It's the ultimate fix for when all those music apps decide to take a day off."
• 😄 "Mine YouTube Music has been pausing like crazy, so frustrating so that I get back to spotify..."
• 😄 "The pauses happen all the time. I hate to say it but spotify buffers it better."
• 😄 "Great! Break the limits."

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Fix 5: Refresh Offline Files in YouTube Music

During playback on YouTube Music, songs may randomly pause, which may not be due to improper operation or settings that need adjustment. According to some experienced active YouTube users, some downloaded songs can become corrupted over time. Your options include backing up all your YouTube Music playlists as MP3 local files, or you can choose to delete the suspected corrupted songs and re-download them.

• Step 1: In the YouTube Music app, tap the profile icon in the top right corner and select Settings.
• Step 2: Tap on Downloads & Storage.
• Step 3: Tap on Clear Downloads and choose Remove to confirm.
• Step 4: Choose to re-download YouTube playlists in bulk or re-download every playlist manually.

Success Rate: 80%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "Some songs just love taking breaks, but a quick delete-and-redownload fixes 'em right up!"
• 😐 "This trick's for those special cases only, folks!"
• 😞 "When I had the band Suicidal Tendencies come up in my queue, it would pause with a warning. Stupid algorithm."

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Fix 6: Reconnect Bluetooth Devices

YouTube Music is easily affected by Bluetooth. Sometimes, even a slight change in position can cause the Bluetooth connection to drop, and then YouTube Music stops playing. Generally speaking, forgetting the connected device in your phone's Bluetooth settings and then re-establishing the connection can be helpful. If your headphones, speakers, or other devices keep disconnecting Bluetooth connections due to being outdated, and YouTube Music keeps stopping playback, then I recommend using a wired connection or switching to a different device.

Success Rate: 70%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😐 "YouTube Music seems really sensitive to Bluetooth issues."
• 😞 "Tried deleting the memories and recreating the BT connection, no luck."

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Fix 7: Verify YouTube Music's Network Connection

It might seem strange to you that after leaving your home, YouTube Music playback becomes unstable and keeps pausing. Moreover, YouTube Music seems to play normally when using Wi-Fi but encounters trouble when streaming over mobile data. The only other option is to download YouTube songs locally and listen to them in this way when you're away from home or offline.

Alternatively, if you have an unlimited data plan, you can turn off Wi-Fi to play YouTube Music. Then, after leaving a Wi-Fi area, disable the "Stream via Wi-Fi Only" option to prevent your phone from automatically trying to connect to public Wi-Fi networks when you pass by malls or cafes, which can cause YouTube Music to keep stopping.

• Step 1: Launch the YouTube Music app on your smartphone and tap on your profile picture in the top corner.
• Step 2: Navigate to the "Settings" option. Then, find and tap on "Data saving".
• Step 3: Turn off the "Stream via Wi-Fi only" option.

Success Rate: 60%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😐 "Recently, I've been encountering an issue where songs randomly pause, especially when my phone is connected to mobile/cell data."
• 😐 "I’m strictly on Wi-Fi and it’s doing it on my iPhone"
• 😐 "Well, I don't download music. I stream it, and it's fine on WiFi but gives me trouble on mobile data, especially with YouTube."
• 😐 "Yeah, maybe you're on to something. When I'm at a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, my Android just randomly turns it on."

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Fix 8: Update YouTube Music & System

All programs have bugs, and YouTube Music is no exception. That's why there's a continuous development team working on regular maintenance and updates for it. Sometimes, a simple update to the YouTube Music app or your device's system can solve the frequent pausing issue.

Success Rate: 50%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "It disappeared with system updates (was a Bluetooth codec issue, I think)."
• 😓 "After the update, nothing changed. I don't know what the development team has been up to."

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Fix 9: Reinstall YouTube Music App

Has anyone not tried this method yet? When people are desperate, they are willing to try anything. Reinstalling the YouTube Music app is essentially similar to updating the software and system. Sometimes, the YouTube Music app may lack certain essential components during installation, leading to frequent pauses when playing songs. You can give this method a try because some users have reported success. Maybe you’ll be the next lucky one—who knows?

Success Rate: 40%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "Reinstalling is the first thing I try for any software issue. Gotta admit, miracles do happen sometimes."
• 😠 "Reinstalled it countless times! This program is just trash."

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Fix 10: Adjust YouTube Music's Audio Quality

Since the audio quality of YouTube Music is not particularly high, few people consider that choosing high-quality streaming might lead to frequent pauses. However, this doesn’t mean it’s impossible. If you have selected high-quality streaming and your internet connection is poor, you can adjust the audio quality of your YouTube Music to resolve this issue.

• Step 1: Click the profile icon within the YouTube Music app.
• Step 2: Navigate to Settings > Playback & restrictions > Audio quality.
• Step 3: Try the "Low" or "Normal" option.

Success Rate: 30%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😄 "I never thought of that! But it's only a temporary fix."
• 😓 "Could YouTube Music audio quality get any worse? "
• 😒 "YouTube Music audio quality is a joke!"

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Fix 11: Restart YouTube Music App, Device, or Computer

Whether it's your phone, computer, or an app that's having issues, restarting is often the quickest and most universal solution. Most of the time, tech novices don't have better options, making this the most suitable approach. While this method might work for general YouTube Music issues, there are many reasons why YouTube Music might keep pausing, and this approach usually isn't effective. However, restarting doesn’t cost much time, so why not give it a try?

Success Rate: 20%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😞 "It's fine for a few days after restarting, then it starts again. Annoying!"
• 😞 "Is it because I got a free YouTube Premium account that the app is working unstably?"

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Fix 12: Clear YouTube Music Caches

When YouTube Music is feeling sluggish or laggy, an excessive cache could be the reason behind it. Here's a device-specific guide on how to clear it out for a more seamless listening experience:

Clear YouTube Music Caches on Android

• Step 1: Go to "Settings" on your device.
• Step 2: Find and tap on "Apps", then "App Management".

• Step 3: Select "YouTube Music" from the list.
• Step 4: Tap on "Storage" or "Storage Usage".
• Step 5: "Clear Cache" first. If the issue recurs, repeat the steps up to this point, but this time, tap "Clear data" to erase both cache and app data.
• Step 6: Tap "Delete" to confirm the action.

Clear YouTube Music Caches on iOS

• Step 1: Navigate to the "Settings" app from your home screen.
• Step 2: Within the Settings memu, press "General".
• Step 3: Proceed to select "iPhone Storage" or "iPad Storage" (depending on your device).
• Step 4: Locate and tap on "YouTube Music" in the list of apps.
• Step 5: Press the "Offload App" button.
• Step 6: To confirm, tap the "Offload App" option once more.

Success Rate: 15%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😞 "I've tried to clear cache, remove all my downloads, reboot my phone, and reinstall the application, nothing seems to work."
• 😞 "I switched to YouTube because Spotify wasn't working, but it's even worse than Spotify!"

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Fix 13: Free Up Device Storage

Although modern smartphones come with large storage capacities, some even up to 1TB, you'll find that today's apps are increasingly feature-rich and take up more memory. Apps like YouTube Music, which integrate a lot of audio and video content, are especially resource-intensive from the moment you launch them. This is one reason they can experience issues while running. When your phone’s storage is low, you might still encounter frequent pauses even when playing offline-downloaded YouTube songs. So, you can check your phone’s storage by going to Settings > Storage to see how much space you have left. Consider deleting and cleaning up unnecessary cache data and audio/video downloads.

Success Rate: 10%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😠 "Waste of time! Useless advice—spent my whole afternoon deleting files."
• 😓 "The only good thing is that my phone runs a bit faster, but YouTube Music still keeps stopping."

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Fix 14: Check for Account Conflicts

YouTube Music permits you to log in across multiple devices. However, simultaneous music streaming is restricted to a single device. Attempting to play music on another device will automatically halt the playback on the initially active one, causing the music to pause repeatedly. However, if this is the case, you should receive a notification. If this applies to you, try logging out of the YouTube Music account on all other devices and then log back in on only one device.

Success Rate: 10%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😞 "It's just like Spotify, it keeps logging me out too. All music platforms are strict about that kind of thing."
• 😞 "That's not the case for me. I keep track of how many devices I'm logged in on. Like I'm some kind of dummy..."

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Fix 15: Contact YouTube Music Support

If you've tried all the methods above, it might be best to switch to an alternative to YouTube Music. Do you really think YouTube Music customer support can help? They probably haven’t considered as many solutions as you have. That’s why this issue has continued to frustrate many YouTube Music users for years. Of course, if you manage to speak with a helpful customer service representative who makes your day a little brighter, consider yourself lucky—at least you’ll feel better emotionally.

Success Rate: 1%

Replies from Active Users:

• 😠 "Customer service is just a stupid robot."
• 😠 "Thanks for giving me another day to waste!"

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More Fixes: YouTube Music Keeps Pausing When Driving

Due to different usage scenarios, we have provided some additional solutions for YouTube Music constantly pausing in your car. In addition to the general solutions mentioned above, you can also consider the following:

• Ensure other devices' Bluetooth is off. If your car has paired with multiple devices, nearby devices may cause automatic reconnections and music interruptions.
• Use an audio cable. A 3.5mm audio cable provides a stable connection between your phone and the car’s audio system, avoiding Bluetooth interference.
• Play music via USB. Download YouTube playlists as MP3s to a USB drive for uninterrupted offline playback in your car.

Some in-car audio and video systems have a feature that automatically adjusts the song volume or pauses playback when it detects specific situations such as excessive speed or turning, to enhance driving safety. This feature is often referred to as 'speed-sensitive volume' or similar intelligent volume control functions. This function is designed to ensure that the driver remains more focused on driving, and different brands and models of vehicles may implement this feature differently.

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The Final Thoughts:

If you're experiencing frequent pauses while using YouTube Music, whether on Android, iPhone or during driving, there are numerous proven fixes to address the problem. However, not every fix works for everyone. Note that in some cases, the issue may stem from the app. In such instances, exploring suitable YouTube Music alternatives can be key. After converting YouTube Music playlists to local MP3s with TuneCable BeatOne, you can freely transfer YouTube songs to Spotify, store them on a USB flash drive, or play them directly via common media players.