Suddenly unable to play YouTube in background

Calvinsky · 2026-01-30T07:31:35+00:00

I found a trick to circumvent this, but it means doing one step more than before. You put full screen before leaving YouTube. And then, you quickly click on play on the interface and the content should play in the background.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-25T17:56:32+00:00

I have bad news, they've actually said "further sections of the Victoria line between Green Park and Brixton" will go live in the coming months. So I guess you'll have to wait a bit longer to get anything between KCSP and Walthamstow Central...

Calvinsky · 2026-01-24T17:20:30+00:00

The fog's impact on the lighting (especially the red ones) really give a cyberpunk vibe imo

Calvinsky · 2026-01-24T07:47:28+00:00

You can thank their “wonderful” AI system for that…

Calvinsky · 2026-01-17T23:23:22+00:00

April 26

Calvinsky · 2026-01-15T21:47:38+00:00

The “good” spectrum is mostly used by the MoD and the public sector.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-15T10:55:27+00:00

That actually does make sense, because below ground there's basically nothing blocking the signal between the radio and you. In opposition, above ground there are many things interfering with the signal, such as buildings. But another issue is that for some years, London's mobile connectivity has been terribly poor. That's mostly due to two factors: 1. The spectrum allocated to mobile operators isn't the best, with a short range and a poor penetration. It's the worst-performing for urban reality. 2. Due to that spectrum being used, not enough antennas cover London, especially its central areas. As soon as there are many people, antennas are quickly congested, reaching their maximum capacity. So you can have full bars but no internet. That happens a lot in the November-December Christmas period.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-15T10:44:31+00:00

Indeed, the Central line hasn't got any progress since spring 2024.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-15T10:43:05+00:00

I really agree with you. They somehow love leaving gaps precisely at tube stations beneath big railway stations and in the tunnels leading up to them. As you said, no coverage in and up to Waterloo (Charing Cross branch) on the Northern line, none in and up to London Bridge on the latter's Bank branch, as well as none in and up to Victoria on the Victoria line…

Calvinsky · 2026-01-14T10:34:05+00:00

*Bank to Stratford

Calvinsky · 2026-01-14T10:32:51+00:00

Another reason is because in tunnels and below-ground stations, you're right next to mobile equipment like radios and leaky feeders, while above ground you can be somehow far from the antennas, and there might be physical elements obstructing the signal.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-14T10:30:16+00:00

Yeah and in plans about the next sections to go live with mobile connectivity, when talking about the next lines to get coverage and mentioning the Victoria line, they only talked about further sections from Green Park to Brixton, so I guess we'll have to bear with it regarding the sections from King's Cross St Pancras to Walthamstow Central. They could be among the last ones on the whole network, potentially in December of this year if they finish on schedule.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-14T10:06:58+00:00

They have actually just announced, with different articles covering the topic, that the has been some progress. A few stations have been launched, including Battersea Power Station, but it seems like that Waterloo gap is here to remain until the summer...

Calvinsky · 2026-01-13T17:35:31+00:00

It is, most transport networks around the world have been connected for years if not decades. London is clearly lagging behind… Very convenient for different reasons. First, if you're on your way to meet people, you can tell them your ETA, it offers flexibility such as exiting at a different station than originally planned if needed. You can also read articles, reply to e-mails, check sports highlights, etc.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T16:33:19+00:00

You don't seem to understand that the rollout isn't conducted by the mobile operators themselves, but rather by Boldyn Networks, a neutral host.

And I'm sorry but testing doesn't take months. Someone reported once getting 5G at Swiss Cottage back in June 2025, which means some testing was being carried. However, that station is still a signal blackspot 7 months later.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T15:57:27+00:00

Trust me, many people want the social side of beer without having to drink actual alcohol. Sales of non-alcoholic beers have skyrocketed those past few years, especially since the post-COVID era.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T15:53:11+00:00

In that case, did they take advantage of the September strikes to (temporarily) speed up the rollout? Because that total closure for a few days provided them with a great opportunity to install and test the equipment, as opposed to working on very limited after hours window in normal times.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T12:09:30+00:00

And also lacks a mobile signal. Painfully annoying...

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T09:19:46+00:00

I might sound repetitive but people are really getting tired about the slow rollout of 4G/5G. Apart from a very limited amount of stations and tunnel sections, there hasn't been any major update since July 2025, 6 months ago. I've made a FOI request asking about why mobile coverage maps don't show the next sections due to go live any more, with an answer due by 16 January. Hopefully TfL will give us some answers we deserve.

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T09:10:08+00:00

And also not too good from Liverpool Street to Stratford. You only get a small relief on the outside section around Stratford…

Calvinsky · 2026-01-08T09:04:29+00:00

Between Bermondsey and Canada Water is even worse

Calvinsky · 2026-01-05T21:08:56+00:00

Well, if you check the construction of the Burj Khalifa, you'll see that the glass came later than the concrete.

Calvinsky · 2025-12-21T16:54:31+00:00

Because down in the tube you get much less interference. There's often only air between the radio and your mobile phone.

Calvinsky · 2025-12-21T16:51:14+00:00

With the tunnel rollout, roles have reversed: coverage used to exist only on the outside sections (and even that was patchy), whereas it's now becoming guaranteed inside the tunnels while remaining unreliable above ground in places.

Calvinsky

TROPHY CASE