In December 2024, YouTube brought an update that temporarily barred users from being able to change video playback speed directly while in a live stream or during any video. That update had sent users up in arms as people had grown accustomed to easily being able to speed up or slow down videos to their preference.
There is, however, one indirect workaround through which you can adjust the playback speed. This article provides a detailed guide on how to increase YouTube video speed despite the update and explores why this change might have been implemented.
Understanding the YouTube Update
The recent YouTube update in 2024 brought significant changes to the video playback experience. According to YouTube, the speed adjustment option is not available immediately and will only show up after 24 hours. It restricts live videos and ordinary video uploads alike. Though that is somewhat of an inconvenience to the user, this shift in change likely will have sought to achieve some change that has a positive performance impact or an underlying technical problem that it needed to address.
Why Change the Video Playback Speed?
The feature to adjust playback speed of videos is highly needed and often utilized by many end-users. In that case, people will consume information while viewing some sort of tutorial or a lecture video. Following is few of the common reasons due to which people speed up YouTube videos:
- Save Time: This allows the users to watch videos at 1.5x and 2x without really causing them to miss anything crucially important, saving plenty of time.
- Reinforce Learning: Playbacks at higher speed would allow users to refer quickly to concepts, mainly regarding educational content.
- Skip Repetitive Content: Sometimes, creators have repetitive information on their content that is very skippable by just tuning up the speed of playback.
- Adjust to Personal Preference: Many viewers cannot stand the dragging of a video and use faster speeds for greater video engagement.
How to Speed Up YouTube Videos After the Update
While there is no direct speed control on the YouTube app within the initial 24-hour window, YouTube users can easily work their way around this and make their video play faster with these simple steps:
- Minimize the YouTube App: The playing video in the YouTube app should first be minimized by clicking on the Minimize window button.
- Enable Picture-in-Picture Mode: Make sure the picture-in-picture mode is enabled on your device. The video will continue playing in a small window, and you will open other applications.
- Open Playback Settings: Tap the settings icon available in the PiP window.
- Adjust Playback Speed: From the settings menu, select the desired playback speed, such as 1.25x, 1.5x, or 2x.
By following these steps, you can regain control over the video speed and customize your viewing experience despite the update.
Benefits of Using the Workaround
The workaround offers several advantages, including:
- Immediate Speed Adjustment: Users don’t need to wait for 24 hours to change the playback speed.
- Convenience: The steps are simple and easy to follow, requiring minimal technical knowledge.
- Enhanced Productivity: This method ensures that users can continue consuming content at their preferred pace without interruptions.
Possible Reasons Behind the Update
While YouTube has not provided a detailed explanation for the change, several potential reasons could justify the 24-hour delay in enabling speed adjustment:
- Technical Improvements: This could be part of broader efforts to optimize the quality of video streaming and reduce buffering issues.
- Content Integrity: By constricting speed adjustments within an initial 24-hour period, YouTube may be guaranteeing that viewers see the content in the way the creators have intended.
- Platform Testing: This can be a temporary measure to test user behavior and feedback for future updates.
- Monetization Strategies: Slower playback during the initial release might encourage users to watch more ads, benefiting the creators and the platform.
User Reactions to the Update
People’s reactions towards the new update have been very mixed so far. While many appreciate some of the possible benefits in disguise, others find the restriction simply cumbersome. Social media platforms and online forums are abuzz with the topic of the change, and there’s a lot of people sharing their experience with many tips on bypassing this limitation.
Tips for a Better YouTube Experience
Besides adjusting your playback speed, here is how you can enhance your general YouTube experience:
- Enable Captions: Turn on subtitles or captions, particularly when you watch them at speeds higher than normal.
- Use Playlists: Group your favorite clips into playlists and then seamlessly view them from one video to another.
- Download Videos: Save them offline so that it wouldn’t get interrupted due to poor internet connectivity.
- Explore YouTube Premium: You could subscribe to an ad-free experience with additional features like background play.
Conclusion
The update on YouTube starting in 2025 will restrict changing its playback speeds for some time, but this method described above in the article can easily be worked around to speed up any video. To still provide that for viewers, one could minimize the YouTube application and access settings through Picture-in-Picture mode. With YouTube continuing to evolve, it’s essential that users stay updated with changing features on the platform so that they can be at their best while consuming the platform.
FAQs on Increase YouTube Video Speed
1. Why can’t I change the playback speed on YouTube in 2025?
In 2025, YouTube introduced an update that temporarily disables the playback speed adjustment option for the first 24 hours after a video is uploaded. This change applies to both live streams and regular videos.
2. How can I speed up YouTube videos if the option isn’t available?
You can use a workaround by minimizing the YouTube app, enabling Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, and accessing the speed adjustment settings through the PiP window.
3. Does this update affect all YouTube users?
Yes, this update applies globally to all YouTube users. The playback speed adjustment will be unavailable for the first 24 hours of video uploads or live streams.
4. Why did YouTube introduce this restriction?
YouTube hasn’t explicitly stated the reason, but it may be to optimize technical performance, ensure content integrity, or encourage longer watch times for newly uploaded videos.
5. Are there any benefits to waiting 24 hours for speed control?
Waiting may allow users to experience the content as intended by creators and could reduce potential technical issues during the early stages of video availability.
6. Will YouTube remove this restriction in the future?
YouTube has not announced plans to reverse this update. However, user feedback could influence changes or refinements to this feature in the future.
