Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- YouTube has introduced a new timer that automatically pauses scrolling through Shorts.
- Scrolling can be resumed at any time, and Shorts will still appear throughout the app while the main feed is paused.
- This timer is rolling out beginning today, but you may not have it just yet.
Back in April, we found evidence that YouTube was working on a new feature aimed helping users limit their time watching Shorts videos. Code in a beta version of the YouTube app included mentions of a new timer system that’d stop users from scrolling through the Shorts feed once a predefined timer had expired. Now, that feature is rolling out.
TechCrunch spotted this morning that YouTube announced a new daily time limit option for scrolling through Shorts. Once you set up that timer, you’ll get a “dismissable prompt” telling you that Shorts scrolling is paused. Shorts will still appear in other parts of the app, but once you’ve reached your limit, the main Shorts feed will remain disabled until the next day (assuming you don’t just dismiss the timer prompt, anyway).
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This new Shorts timer joins a handful of other features ostensibly meant to help users curb their time spent on the YouTube platform — YouTube’s post points out its existing Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, which can be used to set up reminders to stop watching at certain times or intervals. While those other two features are integrated into YouTube’s parental controls, this new Shorts timer isn’t yet. YouTube says that integration will come “later this year.”
YouTube says that this new timer option is rolling out starting today. Once the update hits your account (I’m not seeing it on my end yet), you’ll be able to set a Shorts timer from the YouTube app’s Settings page.
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