How to Lock YouTube Screen Natively on iPhone or Android

There was no way to lock the screen while watching YouTube videos. So users had to rely on 3rd-party apps. However, that required them to grant multiple permissions to these apps, potentially putting data and privacy at risk. YouTube released an update adding native support to lock the YouTube screen. Here’s how to lock the YouTube screen on iPhone and Android phones while watching videos.

Lock YouTube Screen on Android and iPhone

Putting a lock on YouTube videos is hardly a two-step process, and it’s incredibly easy to do. The steps are the same for both Android and iPhone. Here’s how it works:

1.Open theYouTubeapp on youriPhoneorAndroidphone.

2.Next, open anyvideoand then go to thefull-screenmode.

3.Now that you’re in full-screen mode, tap on theSettings(Gear/cog icon).

4.Select theLock screenoption.

Note:If you don’t see the Lock Screen option in your YouTube app, you should update to the latest version.

There you go! Your YouTube video screen is now locked, with all your video controls elegantly hidden.

go to the full-screen mode on YouTube

TIP:Learn how to takehigh-quality screenshots from YouTube videos.

If you wish to unlock the YouTube screen, simply tap anywhere on the screen, and thenTap to unlockbutton will appear. Tap on it and your YouTube screen will be unlocked.

When the YouTube screen is unlocked, you will see this screen.

The built-in lock feature works well. Say bye-bye to third-party apps that

Problems You May Face

Though the lock screen feature works flawlessly, we found a bug while testing the YouTube lock screen on our LG Wing phone.

What happens is that when you lock the screen while watching a YouTube video and then return to your phone’s home screen, the video switches to Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. When you press the full-screen button on the PiP video or reopen the app, the video defaults to portrait mode. This can make it difficult to unlock your YouTube video screen, and the only option is to return to full screen to enable auto-rotation.

However, during our testing on a Google Pixel 8 Pro, the video automatically transitioned from PiP mode to full screen. This bug may vary from one phone model to another, and you may not encounter this issue.

No More Accidental Pauses

While watching the YouTube video, you may accidentally close a video, skip the playlist, or click on another video. Thankfully, with the lock screen feature on YouTube, you can now peacefully binge-watch your favorite videos without any interruption.

By the way, for those who are new toYouTubeorYouTube Music, we’ve provided explanations for each icon and symbol. Be sure to check it out.

Your YouTube video screen is now locked

Rahul is your go-to guide for fixing Windows, Steam, Android, Samsung TV, and Google Chrome. An engineering college dropout who followed his passion for tech, he brings 3 years of troubleshooting experience and 2+ years of running his own tech blog to the table. When he’s not solving your tech problems, you’ll find him unwinding with the latest anime or K-drama.

How to Lock YouTube Screen Natively on iPhone or Android