QUICK ANSWER
Disconnect Bluetooth and replay the same video.
BOOX has acknowledged an incompatibility between YouTube video encoding and the Note Air5 C after receiving similar reports. The reported pattern is video freezing or turning black when Bluetooth audio is connected, sometimes while sound continues. BOOX says it plans to address the problem in a future update.
For now, disconnect the Bluetooth headphones or speaker and replay the same clip through the Note Air5 C's built-in speakers. A compatible USB-C audio device is another temporary route. Update the YouTube app, check only for firmware offered to your exact tablet and send BOOX one logged reproduction. A factory reset or developer-mode codec change is not justified by the available evidence.
CONFIRM THE PATTERN
Separate the audio route from the video and network
The first useful comparison takes about two minutes. Choose one ordinary YouTube video, play it through the built-in speakers, then connect the Bluetooth device and replay the same section. Keep the Wi-Fi network, app, video quality and screen mode unchanged.
If the same clip freezes only after Bluetooth audio connects, the result matches the conflict BOOX has acknowledged.
Record whether the picture stops, turns black or stalls while sound keeps playing.
Check the app, connection and firmware. Do not assume the acknowledged Bluetooth conflict explains it.
Restart once, preserve important files and send BOOX the broader symptoms with logs.
This does not prove which codec or software component is responsible. BOOX described the cause broadly as a YouTube video-encoding incompatibility with the Note Air5 C. It did not publish an affected app version, Bluetooth profile, firmware range or release date for the fix.
SAFE WORKAROUNDS
Use another audio output while the fix is pending
- Try the built-in speakers.Disconnect Bluetooth from the BOOX Control Center, fully close YouTube and reopen it. Replay the same section. If video works, this is the cleanest temporary workaround.
- Use USB-C audio if privacy matters.BOOX lists the Note Air5 C USB-C port as supporting audio. Use a compatible wired USB-C headset or adapter, then repeat the clip. Compatibility varies, so stop if the accessory disconnects or behaves unpredictably.
- Update the YouTube app.Open Google Play, check the YouTube listing and install an available stable update. YouTube recommends using the latest app for playback problems.
- Close and reopen YouTube.Remove it from recent apps, reopen it and repeat the same clip once. If needed, restart the Note Air5 C normally one time.
- Clear cache, not storage.If playback also struggles without Bluetooth, open the Android app information for YouTube and clear its cache only. YouTube recommends this generic Android check. It is not a confirmed cure for the BOOX-specific conflict.
- Use another device for essential video.If Bluetooth listening is required today, a phone, computer or other supported device avoids experimenting with the BOOX before its software update arrives.
The original report described the problem in the YouTube app and several browsers. You can compare one browser to the app, but cycling through browsers or installing unknown APKs is unlikely to solve a device-level compatibility conflict.
UPDATES AND REPORTS
Install only an update intended for this Note Air5 C
Open Settings → System Updates → Check for updates. If BOOX offers a stable update to this exact device, connect it to power, protect important local files and follow the on-screen instructions. BOOX warns that local firmware packages are model-specific and that using the wrong package can leave a device unable to boot.
Do not treat a current-version message as proof that the problem is fixed. BOOX said a future update would optimize and solve the incompatibility, but it did not name the version or date in its public reply. Check the release notes when an update appears, then repeat the same speaker-versus-Bluetooth test.
Report the issue while it is reproducible. Open Settings → FAQ & Feedback → +, describe the frozen or black picture, tick the option to send logs and submit immediately after one controlled test. Also use YouTube's in-app Settings → Send feedback route if the app provides it.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Do not make a narrow compatibility problem bigger
- Do not factory-reset the tablet. It can remove local files, app data and settings, while BOOX has already identified a software compatibility issue.
- Do not clear YouTube storage. That removes app data and sign-in state. Cache is the narrower generic check.
- Do not change Bluetooth codecs in Android developer options. BOOX has not published a codec workaround for this issue, and undocumented changes make reports harder to compare.
- Do not sideload random YouTube or firmware packages. Use Google Play and the BOOX update offered to the exact device.
- Do not repeatedly forget and re-pair headphones. If they connect and carry audio, pairing is not the clearest failure point.
- Do not assume the Wi-Fi is broken. A connection problem usually affects playback with every audio output, not only after Bluetooth connects.
If audio works until the BOOX screen sleeps and then stops, use the separate BOOX sleep-audio checklist. That involves power and background settings rather than foreground YouTube video.
WHEN TO STOP
Send BOOX a small, repeatable test
Contact BOOX if the Bluetooth-specific freeze survives the latest offered YouTube and firmware updates, or if playback also fails through the speakers and USB-C audio. Stop sooner if the whole tablet freezes, restarts, becomes unusually hot or loses Bluetooth in other apps while awake.
Include the full firmware build, YouTube app version, Bluetooth accessory model, one example video, whether the browser behaves the same way, and the exact result through speakers and Bluetooth. State whether audio continued after the picture stopped. Attach a short video if BOOX requests one, but keep account details, serial numbers and private notifications out of public posts.
SOURCES AND LIMITS
What BOOX has confirmed
Official documentation and owner reporting were checked on October 25, 2026. BOOX's public support reply confirms that its team received similar reports, identified a YouTube video-encoding incompatibility with the Note Air5 C and intends to fix it in a future update. It does not establish prevalence, every affected configuration or an update date. Yeinks has not reproduced the issue on hardware.