YouTube Android buffering – How to fix

How many times have you had a good internet connection and the motivation to study, or maybe watched your favorite creator in action, or maybe you wanted to watch a documentary and YouTube just keeps on buffering? Well, there are some reasons for your buffering. Here we are yet again to pinpoint your culprit and put back your streaming content into existence. So worry not we got you covered on every front.

Though it might seem difficult to encounter the fallout behind this tragedy, our list of solutions with each in a detailed manner will help you out equipped with every possible solution. Stay tuned, we got you covered. First of all, we need to know why this happens, and for that you need to know this first.

What is YouTube buffering?

Buffering means loading the videotape forward, making playback smooth. However, you can generally watch YouTube without buffering

If you have a fast internet connection and do not have too numerous apps open which often do reduce the internet speed. However, you can frequently fix the problem by reducing the playback quality until your internet problem is resolved. If the videotape stops buffering constantly.

However, the problem is likely affiliated with the network, and software, If changing the quality does not help.

Why does YouTube buffering happen?

There could be several reasons linked to it. Here we discuss some of the reasons with you

• Online reasons: The cause of YouTube stuttering problems doesn’t always have to be serious. It could happen only because of a bad internet connection. Before going into the technicalities of the problem, you need to check whether your internet connection is working smoothly or not. Even if it is, check your internet speed once too.

• Video players on high resolution: Another reason could be a problem with the video player. Check if you have an updated version of Flash Player. This may affect the normal video experience. If the problem is with the flash player, you need to find out. Another problem with the video player is also if you watch a video in 1080p 4kor any other high data-consuming form then you are going to experience this. Try reducing the resolution. These are common reasons related to VCRs.If you feel that YouTube buffering on good internet or YouTube buffering problem does not occur due to video player problems

• Device error: One of the common reasons could be related to the device being a computer. Check if hardware acceleration is enabled. If so, it might slow down the YouTube video. Disable it to prevent it from happening again. Another computer reason could be that you maxed out your RAM. And see if your graphics card needs an upgrade.

How to fix the problem?

Method 1. Disable your WiFi

Many Android smartphones have a Wi-Fi sensor feature that saves battery when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Enabling this feature may cause a throttle to your connection and slow down YouTube streaming videos. The only way to fix this is by switching off the WiFi Sensor: hence to do this repeat the steps listed for you below.

• Step1: Go to Settings
• Step 2 there you can see Connections. Click on it.
• Step 3. Then go to the “WLAN” option
• Step 4 proceed to click on the “More” button located in the upper right corner.
• Step 5. Now uncheck the box next to “Wi-Fi Sense”.

This will fix the slow YouTube cache on your Android phone if this feature is enabled. To mention that this feature is lacking in many smartphones so Don’t worry if this option is not available on your phone, some Android phones don’t support it.

Method 2: Update the YouTube app

Sometimes the buffering could be linked to the lack of updates and maintenance software availability. Thus providing the best user experience. YouTube Studio app, launches updates from time to time to enhance the quality of the app and to introduce new features in the app it is recommended to update to the latest version of the app. The updates could be utilized in optimal ways so you can get new features, a faster experience, fixes, and more.

To update the YouTube app, follow these steps:

• Step 1. Open the Google Play Store app on your device.
• Step 2. Go and tap on your profile picture.
• Step 3. There you can see my apps and games.
• Step 4. Click on the Apps with an update available.
• Step 5. You can see this on the apps which are labelled as “Update.”
• Step 6. To update all apps, click on Update All.
• Step 7. Hence goes back to YouTube to see if the error has been corrected.

Method 3: Clear the YouTube app cache.

Some settings on websites are removed. For example, if you’re already signed in, you’ll need to sign in again. Some web pages appear to be slower because content, such as images, needs to be reloaded. The exact steps will vary slightly between different phone brands but on a generic level it quite remains the same. 

To clear YouTube cache do these certain steps for android users

• Step1: Go to the search bar
• Step 2: Search settings and click on it
• Step 3: Clicks to Open your phone’s settings app
• Step 4: Look for Apps with the help of the search bar
• Step 5: Click on the Apps and then proceed to click on Notifications.
• Step 7: Searches for the YouTube app in the list
• Step 8: Click on the Storage and cache option.
• Step 9: Click on Clear cache.

Hence you have successfully cleared the cache. If this step still doesn’t ring the bell we got some more methods covered.

Method 4: Force stop YouTube

Forcing an app to quit can affect its performance and other apps in several ways. As mentioned earlier, forcing the buggy app to quit can help restore performance to normal. Restarting the app makes it run better, sometimes even faster, but rarely slower.

• Step 1: Open the Settings app on an Android device.
• Step 2: Scroll to the Apps option.
• Step 3: Proceed to the Applications or Manage apps.
• Step 4: Search for the youtube app then click on it.
• Step 5: Click on the force stop option.

Hence you have optimally forced to stop the app. Thus you can go back to the app and check for the issue. Till this time it should be resolved. Even if it fails here there is one more way you can use it.

Method 5: Optimize device compatibility

Sometimes there is a problem with the application being used and the system compatibility to resolve the steps you must look for system updates on your phone. This ensures that your system is equipped with the latest security patch and bug fixes.

For you system updates play a crucial role because many times our system outdated devices might not be able to run updated apps. So, keep your devices updated and avoid any device-related issues.

Do these steps to update the app:

• Step 1: Go to the search bar on your phone
• Step 2: click on the settings
• Step 3: Proceed to search for the System updates
• Step 4: Check for available System Updates
• Step 5: From there, you’ll see the latest update for your device.
• Step 6: Click to install the updates.

Hence when you are done with the steps go back to YouTube to see if the problem is resolved.

Must Read: Why does YouTube keep switching to light mode?

Conclusion

There could be a ton of different reasons for Youtube to keep on buffering. We enlisted some of the most optimal solutions for you to stop the buffering and get the app back to its normal pace. The widely used video streaming platform tends to encounter such problems on an often basis. The massive user base claims to have this experience at some point.

Commonly asked questions