YouTube screensaver bug is interrupting playback on LG Smart TVs

Watching YouTube is frustrating enough when you’re constantly reaching for the remote to skip ads. Now, some LG TV owners are finding themselves reaching for it every couple of minutes for a completely different reason.

Recent updates to the YouTube and YouTube TV apps appear to be triggering the webOS screensaver during active playback on some LG TVs, interrupting videos even though they never actually stop playing.

Multiple reports on the YouTube Community say YouTube version 1.2.15 causes the screensaver to activate whenever videos aren’t displayed in a standard 16:9 aspect ratio. That includes Shorts, vertical videos, classic 4:3 uploads, and even wider 2:1 content.

Over on Reddit, affected users describe the same behavior: The screen suddenly goes black before the familiar webOS fireworks screensaver appears, while the video’s audio continues playing uninterrupted. Pressing any button immediately restores the picture, suggesting playback itself never stops. Most reports we’ve seen involve the LG CX series and some BX OLED models, although it’s unclear whether other webOS TVs are affected.

The problem isn’t limited to YouTube. Users on the YouTube TV Community say a recent YouTube TV update also causes the screensaver to appear every few minutes when in multiview mode.

One Reddit user notes that LG support recommended fully powering off the TV, unplugging it, then holding the TV’s physical power button for 30 seconds before plugging it back in. While that fixed the problem on their TV, the same workaround didn’t help others, so your mileage may vary.

LG has since published newer versions of both apps — YouTube v1.2.16 and YouTube TV v1.1.13 — but neither update includes release notes explaining what’s changed. Fresh reports of the bug are still appearing, making it difficult to tell whether the latest releases include a fix or whether affected users simply haven’t updated yet.

Without an official acknowledgment from either LG or Google, it’s also unclear whether this is ultimately a webOS issue, an app regression, or an interaction between the two. We’ve reached out to LG for comment, and we’ll update this story if we hear back.