You’ll probably be familiar with YouTube as the place to follow independent creators, enjoy the hottest movie trailers and music videos, and seek out step-by-step demonstrations of every DIY task or recipe imaginable.

But there’s always more to discover in the YouTube app. Here are some nifty features you may not know about.

If you want to revisit information you didn’t catch the first time around or quickly skip to the part of the video you wish to see, using a finger to drag the YouTube playback bar can feel imprecise. Instead, double-tap the left or right side of the video player to rewind or fast-forward the clip by 10 seconds per tap.

One minute you’re watching a clip from your favourite make-up vlogger, the next thing it’s midnight and you’re learning how to install a cat flap. If you want to rein in your viewing habits, tap your profile and select “Time watched”, then toggle “Remind me to take a break” to on. Choose how long you want to watch for before receiving a reminder to take a break. For those partial to YouTube marathons lasting into the small hours, there’s also an option to set a bedtime reminder.

If the YouTube app is loaded on a communal device, Restricted Mode can prevent mature content – perhaps bad language or adult themes – surfacing. Tap your profile in the top-right corner of the app’s Home tab and go to Settings > General and toggle Restricted Mode to on. While YouTube cautions that the feature isn’t 100 per cent accurate, it’s still helpful if you have younger people using the app or the device is being used in a public setting.

By default, YouTube automatically plays the next recommended or queued video. This is great for catching up on episodes of your favourite shows or enjoying a music playlist, but can result in longer-than-intended viewing sessions and will eat your mobile data if you’re away from Wi-Fi. For full manual playback control, turn off Auto-play by tapping your profile and selecting Settings > Auto-play. This will play only the video you’ve chosen and halt the viewing session thereafter.

With a YouTube Premium subscription, it’s possible to download videos for offline viewing, which will save you data if you’re away from Wi-Fi or know that service will be patchy. On your profile, tap Get YouTube Premium and enjoy a one-month free trial of all the benefits, including ad-free videos and full access to YouTube Music.