Why no YouTube sequential playlist I can add to?

July 16, 2018 7:27 AM

A matter I've never been able to understand: It seems YouTube has nothing that lets you line up more than one suggested video so you can lie down to listen to them one after the other. After one video you have to go right back to the screen and click the next thing you wanna see/hear. Please tell me I've missed something... I'm only asking for what, e.g., any music app does -- to add to "Now Playing," or whatever Ytb wants to call it. A "current playlist"...
posted by noelpratt2nd to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

You can create playlists on YouTube, though it's a little more inconvenient than music apps.

There's also YouTube autoplay that will play a suggested video automatically. I find a lot of interesting music using the autoplay.
posted by gregr at 7:36 AM on July 16, 2018

YI may be misunderstanding you, but I think you need to create a playlist. It will play right through them.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:37 AM on July 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

Clicking the "three dots" menu button (three vertical dots, only shows up when you mouse-over the video) next to a video opens a menu with "Add to playlist". You can then add that video to a playlist (while having that playlist playing already). There is no default "current playlist" but you can just create one called whatever you want.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:57 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Well, these are videos of news, etc., which I'll never need to listen to again, so I need to be able to string up a few and give them all a listen the one time. No way, seems like. I know how to create a regular playlist and my Watch Later is really for that -- later. And it's getting longer. From the right-side suggestions bar I want to click-- (!)in fact, didn't there used to be a "watch next"?
posted by noelpratt2nd at 8:03 AM on July 16, 2018

Best answer: It just takes one click to delete a playlist, but no, there is no iTunes-like ‘add to current ephemeral queue’.

YouTube makes a lot more sense once you realize they would love it if you spent most of your time there NOT watching videos ;)
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:31 AM on July 16, 2018

Best answer: When I use the YouTube app to cast to my Roku or Chromecast, I do get an option when I click on a video to either play or add to a queue. When you tap on a video, an option pops over the video with Play or Queue. I love that option and it works just like you want it to. However, when I stop casting and just use the app, that type of queue disappears and you have to go back to the frustrating clicking on each thing, auto-playing or creating a playlist. I haven't been able to find any other way to bring it up without casting.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 9:47 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Okay, thank you much. They want me to get off my couch and look at allll the other stuff in YouTube World and get distracted. They wish I had five arms instead of just 10 fingers, for clicking. They used to have Watch Next and I can see why their marketing people thought it didn't serve them.
posted by noelpratt2nd at 10:06 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]