YouTube · Published by unScroll
Turning off YouTube autoplay is different from hiding recommendations or Shorts
Autoplay controls whether another related video starts automatically after the current one. It is not a control for removing recommendations or Shorts. If you want to keep ordinary YouTube videos with fewer browsing routes, you may need both a playback choice and separate section filtering, such as unScroll’s YouTube browser settings.
Identify the next-video route
Watch what happens when your chosen video ends. Did another video begin without a selection, did you tap a recommendation, or did you switch into Shorts? The route tells you which change to try first.
These actions can occur in the same session, but changing one does not verify the others. Keep your test to one route so you can see what changed.
Test the controls separately
- Turn off autoplay using the player or the relevant YouTube setting, following the official instructions.
- Finish a selected video and check whether another begins automatically.
- Separately choose whether recommendations and Shorts should remain available in the browser you use.
- If using unScroll, apply its YouTube section settings and test search plus an ordinary video.
- Repeat relevant checks on other devices; YouTube allows different autoplay settings per device.
Avoid a misleading success check
Not seeing an automatic next video does not prove that Shorts are hidden. Not seeing Shorts does not prove that you cannot select another ordinary video. Describe the result by the actual route checked.
unScroll browser settings apply there, not account-wide. Native app protection is separate and still needs device acceptance. A change to the original player and a browser filter should be tested as different mechanisms.