Android

But they get ad revenue from ads playing even if you aren't actively watching. Premium subs don't have any ads so they can save bandwidth AND not have to worry about losing ad money.

My wife will. She regularly falls asleep to streams on YouTube and has to rewind to the part she fell asleep to.

It's not technical news, It's newsworthy because of the context.

Kind of like when people in the Soviet Union were allowed to grow vegetables in their own tiny plot of land for personal consumption: it was important because the Soviet Union denied people private ownership, but simply because everybody in the USSR was on the verge of dying of starvation any minute, the Soviets carved out a teeny tiny exception to the rule.

Everybody in the free world was completely nonplussed by the ability to grow your own veggies. But it made the news because it was the Soviet Union.

In this case, the stifling Google mothership implemented a teeny tiny something trivial on their platform, and it's newsworthy because Google is the Soviet Union of the internet in more ways than one.

Of course, people with any sense of freedom and sanity consume Youtube videos with FreeTube, Grayjay, NewPipe, LibreTube, Piped, Invidious or whatever else and look at this thinking "So...?" But it's newsworthy because it comes out of Google.

I use browser for no ads. Applies to many others too. I avoid downloading apps as far as possible.

99.99% of users are on the official client, as is the case for nearly every major web platform.

I switched off from the official app back to Tubular, a NewPipe fork. I was always a NewPipe user but gave YouTube app the chance because I have a YouTube subscription( though, I mostly used it for YouTube Music). But even with a subscription, third party apps are much superior.

Their is no Sponserblock integration in official app. Plus Shorts and Games thrust on you. Oh, and did I mention whenever I go to certain channels, YouTube asks me if I wish to become a member of that channel for extra perks. Like, I just paid you money, Google, stop asking more.

You my friend are living in a bubble. Most users are using default apps. For your own safety do not go out of the bubble, it's wild out there.

SleepTimer is as perfect an app as can be. It does one thing, and does it really well.

Thanks!!

So wait they implement autoplay, autoplay then ruins recommendations, and the fix is a sleep timer?

Who said this was meant to fix recommendations?

You don’t need an external app on iOS, it’s built into the Countdown.

(Just go down to ‘When countdown ends’ list and pick ‘Stop playing’. It will stop whatever playing, YT, Spotify, Netflix etc.)

It's for people who somehow forgot to turn off autoplay feature

You can make a sleep timer using shortcuts in iOS

Since you mentioned watch, I was surprised that rumours said that Pixel Watch 3 will come with 24 Hr battery life, same as PW 2. That is even below Samsung, much less Oneplus or Ticwatch. Plus, they lock much data behind Fitbit's paywall after granting a six month free subscription, I believe.