Topic: Because YouTube doesn't "do" troubleshooting

So, I'm here because my PS4 YouTube app is being a little jerk and making me SO SO ANGRY I DON'T EVEN KN-

Nevermind. Okay, here's what's happening.

On the PS4 YouTube app, if I start a new video I've never watched before, everything plays well and good and without a hitch.

BUT if I play a video that I've watched before, or am in the process of watching (like, maybe I'm 5 minutes into an hour long video of "Dungeon Run") the video will play for about 15 seconds and then skip to the next video.

I've researched the issue, a known issue it seems, and found that this has to do with how YouTube caches information. Basically, since the video was already loaded into YouTube as it was playing, when I'm trying to start where I left off YouTube thinks, "Pfft, you've already seen this! Watch something new!"

The solution, on PC , is to clear out your cache so the saved videos are removed. This removes the confusion.

But how can I do that on YouTube when it is an app? I've done everything I can think of. I've deleted and re-installed the app. I've cleared all saved videos and saved bookmarks on the app. I've uninstalled and re-installed my YouTube user profile. I unplugged the PS4 and went and played "Dragalia Lost" on my phone for a while.

Nothing worked. Obviously. Or, yeah, I wouldn't be here.

I'm able to play the videos normally on my computer and on my phone, so this issue seems to be PS4 specific. And YouTube doesn't offer direct technical support, because they hate you. And me. And democracy, apparently, though that's neither here nor there.

Has anyone else seen this / dealt with this? Do I just stop watching anything that isn't on Netflix?

Thank you for any and all help you can give,

Jake.

@Jakeratboy81 Ah, the curse of Google making decisions on behalf of its audience strikes again. It's why I always try and watch YouTube on devices I can sign out of (and thanks to the latest Android update, that isn't my phone any more either). How dare you want to watch old favourites? You should be watching Logan Paul mud-wrestle PewDiePie for the honour of making new cat memes.

Problem is, you've already gone through every available motion; you're likely left waiting for an update to the PS4 YouTube app, which may never come. To ensure you've got the latest version, press Options and select "Check for Update" whilst hovering over the app's icon.

YouTube might not offer direct technical support, but Sony does. Perhaps report the issue to them?

Apologies, but that's all I got. Hope it helps!

@Jakeratboy81 if you want to clear the PS4's cache you need too

1. Press and hold the PlayStation button on your controller.

2. Select "Turn Off PS4".

3. Let the PlayStation 4 to fully power down and wait for 10 to 20 seconds.

4. Restart the PlayStation 4.

that should clear all the apps too so that should do it

also holding L1 + R1 while booting up the game can also do it apparently

Right? What room do I have to submit a technical support question where there's all that .... rich.... YouTuber content out there for me........

I did attempt to update the YouTube app, no go, and did successfully update the PS4, which didn't do anything, unfortunately.

But the idea of submitting a technical support request to Playstation is a good one. Thank you.

@FullbringIchigo Ooh, that's good to know. Didn't realise it automatically cleared everything every time you power it down (although I always fully power my console down whenever I'm not using it, so that might be why I've never had any problems). Thanks!

@Jakeratboy81 Something else you could try:

I tend to only use YouTube on PS4 with my phone managing the playlist. Every now and then the playlist may drop out - but it is usually pretty stable.

@RogerRoger Not sure if has to do with a setting I've got ticked/unticked in YouTube, but all the recommendations I get are pretty spot on and are based on my viewing history. I get the odd random vid, but those seen to be quite rare these days. I also have my YouTube accounts linked across all devices.

Not sure if that helps but might be worth checking out.

@JohnnyShoulder I know it's much better than it was. I was being overly-snarky, I guess!

Good to know, though. Thanks!

So, for everyone here, and I guess anyone that might run into this issue in the future, I FOUND THE SOLUTION!

So, as previously stated, the problem is that the YouTube app's cache is full, or I guess just maybe the whole system's cache is full... Whichever. And it's not obvious how one can clear that out.

But I found an article:
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/368915/18-playstation-4-tips-fo...

This shows how to clear out the cache. Having done this, I have now found my PS4's YouTube app to play all videos, even ones I have seen before or didn't finish, without stopping or skipping to the end.

Here's what the article said, in case there's any issues loading that page:

"It's easy to forget that your PS4 is essentially a game-ready computer. Naturally, as you play, browse the internet, watch TV, and so on, you accumulate a lot of junk data and cookies that only serve to slow down your PS4. If you notice that your console isn't quite as snappy as it was when it first came out of the box, it may be time to clean up the database. Here's how to do it:

Boot your PS4 in Safe Mode by turning off the console with the power button.
Once it's off, press and hold the power button again until you hear two beeps: one with the initial press, then a second one seven seconds afterwards.
Once you hear that second beep, release the power button, plug your DualShock 4 controller into the console with the USB cable, and press the PS button on the controller. This should bring up the Safe Mode menu.
From here, select the Rebuild Database option from the menu.

Don't fret: your PS4 simply cleans up and remove any useless data, but your saves and important stuff will be unaffected. Try this every few months to keep your PS4 running smooth."

Hope this helps anyone that has the same issue. And thanks to everyone that responded.