{"id":40077,"date":"2023-07-17T17:37:46","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T21:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=40077"},"modified":"2023-07-31T11:25:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T15:25:05","slug":"absurdly-long-youtube-videos-that-play-nothing-on-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/17\/absurdly-long-youtube-videos-that-play-nothing-on-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Absurdly Long YouTube Videos That Play Nothing on Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Pierce<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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In this case, it turns out, the outrageous length is the whole appeal. Across all these videos and many other silent blank ones, every viewer seems to have their own use case. The most common, by far, is to use these videos as a way to simply keep your device on. “I keep this playing overnight so that my laptop doesn’t shutdown while downloading games,” one commenter wrote. “I have to keep this open on my phone because it’s broken and will not turn back on if it turns off,” another said.<\/p>\n

There are also a surprisingly large number of times when you might want your device on but the screen off. “I use this so I can have music open on another tab at night and have this open so the screen with the music on it wont shine so bright in my room,” one commenter wrote on a two-day-long video of a blank black screen.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

But you know what’s actually easier than tweaking a bunch of settings, especially for younger users accustomed to finding everything they need on YouTube? Just playing a video. One commenter on a blank-screen video called it “the perfect video to cast to your tv when you’re too tired to get up and turn it off,” which seems both ridiculous — if you can cast from your phone to your TV, you can probably use your phone to turn off your TV! — and telling.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Update (2023-07-31): Matthew Panzarino<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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There’s apparently an iOS 16.x bug<\/a> that deletes screen time limits on apps if your kid hits the ‘one more minute’ button. Classic. Ruining my life currently.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Jonathan LaCour<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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So much this.<\/p>\n

My kids have also figured out that they can visit YouTube in Safari, pick a super long video, enter Picture in Picture, and it completely bypasses all screen time limits.<\/p>\n

I reported it to Apple two years ago. They acknowledged it. Still no fix.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Previously:<\/p>\n