You open the YouTube app on your phone and a Short starts playing, sound and all, before you have touched anything. Clearing the cache and reinstalling change nothing.
I would read it as a YouTube test on your account rather than something wrong with your phone. Two owners stopped it by switching YouTube's experimental features on and off, which needs Premium.
The YouTube Help thread on it has 628 upvotes since June.
Why your app does this and a friend's does not
Google says on YouTube's help page that "You may sometimes notice that YouTube features can seem different across different accounts". An old app is one cause it names.
The other: "You could also be seeing an experimental feature or a feature that's rolling out". An owner spotted what changed: "It seems that the Shorts tab is now automatically selected instead of the Home tab".
The first poster had it on two devices. A reply called it "a known issue affecting multiple users and has been reported to YouTube".
Another owner described the cost: it "triggers a loud random short you have no cares in the world for, just next to your sleeping baby".
Status: checked 5 October 2026. Two owners stopped it by turning YouTube's experimental features on and off. That menu needs Premium. Turning off autoplay did nothing for another owner.
1. Update the app first
YouTube's first explanation for features that differ is an out-of-date app, so update YouTube from the Play Store or the App Store, then force close it and open it again.
Ours: a minute, one cause ruled out. Missing thumbnails on phones also came back after an app restart.
2. Premium: switch an experiment on, then off
One owner wrote in August: "Turning YouTube Labs on and off disabled this for me". Another owner backed it up in September: "Simply toggling the Lab on and off along with restarting the app fixed the issue for me".
YouTube calls that menu Try experimental features. Its help page puts it under your profile picture and Settings. It also says "YouTube Premium members can learn and try multiple experimental YouTube features".
The September owner's steps: turn an experiment on, force close YouTube from your recent apps, reopen it, then turn the experiment back off. In their words, "There is no dedicated checkbox for Shorts in the Lab". I would try this first.
3. No Premium? Send feedback in the app
Ours: without Premium the experiments menu is not there, and none of the owners found a different switch that worked.
The reply that called it a known issue gave the route: tap your profile picture, then Help and feedback, then Send feedback. YouTube's own page asks for exactly that kind of report on experiments. I would send one even with Premium.
What made no difference
Turning off playback in feeds. YouTube's page says that setting lets you "watch videos while you browse the Home tab and search results page". It does not decide what opens first. An owner confirmed: "Turning off auto play does nothing".
The first poster tried reinstalling, clearing storage and setting the time management reminder to 0 minutes, and the Shorts kept coming.
Will YouTube remove it?
Ours: an experiment can end or become the default. YouTube says it will consider wider rollouts "based on your feedback from these experiments".
Does this happen on a computer?
The reports on the thread are all from the phone and tablet apps. If the app will not play anything at all, that is a different fault.
Does Premium stop it on its own?
No. The first poster has paid for Premium for over ten years and still gets it. Premium only gives you the experiments menu that owners used to reset it.
The Short Version
- YouTube opening on a Short is a test on your account.
- Update the app and force close it first.
- Premium: toggle an experiment on and off, restarting the app in between.
- No Premium: send feedback from the app.
- Playback in feeds off does not stop it.
- Reinstalling and clearing storage did not help.
Where to Next
Update YouTube, then try the experiments toggle if you have Premium. Reopen the app twice to check that Home stays where it should.
Did the toggle stick for you, or did the Shorts come back a day later? Tell us in the comments, since a test can change under you.
Isaac Smith is the founder and editor of PC Glance, a website that covers computers, laptops, and technology. He is a tech enthusiast and a computer geek who loves to share his insights and help his readers make smart choices when buying tech gadgets or laptops. He is always curious and updated about the latest tech trends.