Introduction
By default, YouTube tracks all of your activity on the platform. This collection of historical data is what drives the content YouTube presents to you going forward. Thankfully, if you’re going to be watching content where you don’t want similar videos to show up on your YouTube home screen or in the suggested videos section going forward, YouTube makes it easy for you to turn on Incognito Mode in the YouTube mobile app. Please note that while this feature isn’t available on the YouTube website, you can turn on Incognito Mode for whatever browser you’re using, which will give you the same results.
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Steps to Watch YouTube in Incognito Mode on Mobile
- Launch the YouTube app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.
- Tap your YouTube profile icon at the top of the screen to open a menu.
- Tap “Turn On Incognito” in this menu. A window is displayed letting you know that you’ve gone incognito and that when you turn off incognito mode or become inactive, your activity from this session will be cleared and you’ll return to the account last used.
- Tap “Got It.” You’ll start using YouTube in Incognito Mode.
- You can turn off Incognito Mode by tapping the Incognito Mode icon at the top of the screen where you’re profile icon is generally located, and then tapping “Turn Off Incognito” in the menu that pops up. Incognito Mode will be turned off immediately.
5 Reasons to Watch YouTube in Incognito Mode
1. Privacy Concerns
YouTube can be a great source of entertainment, but it can also collect a lot of personal information about you. From your viewing history to your search history, YouTube can learn a lot about you over time. Using incognito mode can help protect your privacy by not saving this information. This way, you can watch your favorite videos without having to worry about your personal information being saved or shared with others.
2. Avoiding Recommendations
YouTube’s algorithm is designed to learn your preferences over time and make personalized recommendations based on your viewing history. However, if you want to watch videos without having your preferences tracked, incognito mode is the way to go. Incognito mode allows you to watch videos without having your preferences learned by the algorithm, helping you avoid unwanted recommendations.
3. Shared Devices
If you’re using a shared device, such as a computer at a library or a family member’s tablet, incognito mode can help keep your activity private. Incognito mode ensures your viewing history, search history, and other personal information won’t be saved on the device, so others won’t have access to it.
4. Keeping Watched Videos Hidden
Your “Watch History” on YouTube is a record of all the videos you’ve watched, and it can affect your recommended content. Incognito mode helps keep the videos you’ve watched private by not saving them in your “Watch History”. This way, your recommended content won’t be affected, and others won’t know what you’ve watched.
5. Avoiding Ad Targeting
YouTube uses your viewing history to target you with personalized advertisements. If you don’t want to be targeted with advertisements based on your viewing habits, incognito mode can help. Incognito mode prevents YouTube from collecting data on your viewing habits, so you won’t be targeted with personalized advertisements.
