Frequently asked questions
What is Watchkin?
Watchkin helps teachers, educators, families and focused viewers watch and share YouTube videos without the surrounding comments, recommendations and page clutter. Paste a YouTube link or search, then watch in a cleaner player.
Does Watchkin remove adverts and sponsors?
Watchkin removes the surrounding YouTube page adverts, comments and recommendations. Optional sponsor skipping can skip community-reported sponsor segments inside videos. YouTube may still show its own adverts or branding inside the embedded player, and sponsor reports are not available for every video.
What does the free viewing limit mean?
Free viewing starts at 60 minutes on viewing days 1–7, becomes 45 minutes on days 8–14, then 30 minutes daily. It is based on distinct viewing days in this browser, not the number of visits, and resets at local midnight. No account is needed. When the allowance is used, Watchkin explains that the viewing limit was reached and offers Premium for unlimited viewing.
What are the free feature limits?
Free viewers can open transcripts for two different videos each day; reopening the same transcript does not use another allowance. Premium also unlocks saved playlists, synced viewing history and Classroom links.
What does Premium remove?
Premium removes the daily playback and transcript limits. It adds playlists and history across devices, plus Classroom links for sharing lessons. Monthly plans can be cancelled any time with one click.
What are Classroom links?
A Premium member can create one clean link to a video or playlist and add a lesson title, notes, and optional start and end times. The creator can edit, revoke, reinstate or delete the link from their library.
Do pupils or children need accounts?
No. Anyone with an active Classroom link can open the shared lesson without a Watchkin account or membership. Valid Classroom links are not subject to Watchkin's viewing or transcript limits, which makes them suitable for sharing with a class or family.
Do Classroom links have limits?
Classroom links remain available while the creator has active Premium access. The creator controls every link. Video availability still depends on YouTube, and private, removed or embedding-restricted videos may not play.
Do you offer school, organisation or family licences?
Yes. Schools, education teams and other organisations with five or more users can view Watchkin organisation plans and pricing. For family groups, contact Watchkin.
Why was Premium introduced?
Video services, transcripts, translation, storage and ongoing development have real operating costs. Premium funds those services while keeping a useful daily allowance available without an account.
Do old Watchkin shared links still work?
Yes. Existing Watchkin video links keep their original addresses. New Share & Trim and Loop links also use ordinary Watchkin URLs that recipients can open without an account.
How do I share a video, segment or loop?
Use Share & Trim to choose a start and optional end time. Use Loop to choose a section that repeats. Ordinary video, segment and loop sharing needs no account.
Can I view transcripts and translations?
Use Transcript & Translate beneath the player. Captions, translations and video details depend on external services and are not available for every video.
How does keyword filtering work?
Discovery checks search words, suggestions, video titles and channel names against the local keyword policy. Matching results are omitted before their thumbnails are loaded. The policy may also block legitimate educational searches.
This does not inspect images, audio or video and cannot guarantee suitable content. Adults should review videos before showing them to children or a class.
What about background play and picture-in-picture?
Background playback and picture-in-picture vary by device, browser and upstream service. Watchkin shows these controls only where it can provide a useful option.
Can Watchkin open YouTube links automatically?
Use the Watchkin Auto-Redirect userscript or Watchkinize bookmarklet. These are separate from the website and may require browser setup.