YouTube battery drain & overheating issues

[pagagagamate]

The YouTube app causes my Samsung phone to overheat after a random amount of time. Since I can’t uninstall and reinstall the app, clearing the cache and storage or force stopping it only provides a temporary fix. This issue seems to be specific to the YouTube app, as it only started happening in the past few weeks. As a YouTube Premium subscriber, this makes the app nearly unusable. 

On Reddit you can see a lot of similar posts.

[keith30]

How can't you uninstall the app? The app is downloaded from the Google play store which you can install and uninstall there apps

[pagagagamate]

Not on the s23U. It came preinstalled. I can only deactivate it.

[Tourbillon De La Vie]

Did you also report it to YT? 

[pagagagamate]

Yep. Just tried a bunch of ways to contact YouTube, Samsung while checking with other users on here, the YouTube community and Reddit

[Babishko]

Yes @pagagagamate my S23 Ultra is similarly affected. It often gets noticeably very warm when viewing YouTube. It doesn't actually overheat or even get remotely close to doing so however. This has been happening for about 4 months on my device. Clearing the cache helps, but only a little. Battery life seems to take a hit when the device warms also. In any other app my 23U runs stone cold. It is all a bit of a mystery?.

[pagagagamate]

Yep... Maybe the term "overheat" was an exaggeration / the wrong term. But what you mentioned is exactly what I experience, too.

[GoanGeek]

Hi guys.

If your youtube is set to stream HD or higher etc please switch to auto and see if it still heats.

Thanks.

[Ferenc75]

👏 agreed 100%

[Joeeye]

YouTube in general has decreased battery life on all devices from what I've observed, on my S24 Ultra and S21 Ultra. One change that's obvious is their use of HDR in advertisements which notably increases the screen brightness significantly when running (quite jarring actually). I've never actually experienced any overheating on either my S21 or S24 Ultra though while using it.