YouTube is one of the most popular apps on the iPhone 13, offering endless videos for entertainment, education, and news. Over time, your watch history can pile up, affecting recommendations and revealing what you’ve been watching. Whether you want to clean up your history for privacy, reset recommendations, or just declutter your account, deleting YouTube history on your iPhone 13 is simple.
This guide covers all methods to delete YouTube watch and search history on iPhone 13, including clearing all history, specific videos, and even pausing history tracking.
Why You Might Want to Delete YouTube History
Before diving in, here are a few reasons why clearing your YouTube history is helpful:
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Privacy: Prevent others from seeing your watch habits.
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Reset Recommendations: Remove unwanted suggestions on the home screen.
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Declutter: Keep your search and watch history organized.
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Troubleshooting: Fix issues with YouTube recommendations or app glitches.
Step 1: Open the YouTube App
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Unlock your iPhone 13.
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Tap the YouTube app to open it.
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Make sure you are signed in to the correct Google account.
Step 2: Go to Your Profile
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Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
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This opens the account menu where settings and history options are located.
Step 3: Access Your History
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From the menu, select Your data in YouTube.
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Scroll to find the YouTube Watch & Search History section.
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Tap Manage your YouTube Watch History.
Step 4: Delete Specific Videos
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Scroll through your watch history.
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Tap the three dots next to the video you want to remove.
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Select Remove from Watch History.
Repeat this step for any video you want to delete individually.
Step 5: Clear All Watch History
If you want a fresh start:
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In the Manage Your YouTube Watch History screen, tap Delete.
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Choose the option:
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Delete today
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Delete custom range
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Delete all time
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Confirm your choice.
✅ All selected history is now deleted.
Step 6: Delete Search History
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On the same Your data in YouTube page, find YouTube Search History.
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Tap Manage your YouTube Search History.
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You can delete individual searches by tapping X, or select Delete all time to remove all search records.
Step 7: Pause History Tracking (Optional)
If you want YouTube to stop saving history temporarily:
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Go to Manage Your YouTube Watch History.
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Toggle Pause Watch History to ON.
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This prevents YouTube from tracking videos until you turn it back off.
Similarly, you can pause search history by toggling Pause Search History.
Tips for Maintaining Privacy on YouTube
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Use Incognito Mode: Watch videos privately by tapping Your Profile → Turn on Incognito.
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Sign Out for Public Devices: Avoid leaving your account signed in on shared devices.
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Regularly Clear History: Set a monthly routine to delete watch/search history.
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Review Recommendations: After deleting history, your suggested videos will adjust over time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can I delete YouTube history without deleting my account?
Yes. You can clear watch and search history without affecting your YouTube or Google account.
2. Does clearing history affect recommendations immediately?
Yes, but it may take a few minutes or hours for YouTube to adjust recommendations fully.
3. Can I recover deleted history?
No. Once deleted, your watch or search history cannot be restored.
4. Will deleting history affect subscriptions?
No. Your subscriptions remain intact; only watch and search history is removed.
5. Can I pause history on iPhone 13?
Yes, both watch history and search history can be paused in the YouTube app settings.
Final Thoughts
Deleting YouTube history on your iPhone 13 is fast, effective, and gives you better control over privacy and recommendations. Whether you want to remove specific videos, clear everything at once, or pause tracking entirely, these steps ensure a clean slate for your YouTube experience.
Keeping your history in check not only protects your privacy but also keeps your feed relevant and clutter-free.