Why Does Video Playback Pause When I Switch Tabs or Minimize Empath?

Why Does Video Playback Pause When I Switch Tabs or Minimize Empath?

Short Answer

Empath is designed to pause video playback when the browser tab or window loses focus. This is intentional behavior, not a bug. When you return to the tab, playback should resume from where you left off. If it does not, that may indicate a browser-related issue that needs troubleshooting.

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Why Empath Pauses Video Playback When a Tab Loses Focus

Empath is a browser-based platform. When you are watching a video lesson and any of the following happen:

• You minimize the browser window

• You switch to another browser tab

• You cover the Empath window with another application

• The browser otherwise loses focus

Empath will pause video playback automatically.

This behavior is by design.

The goal is to encourage active learning and prevent passive playback, where a video continues running in the background while the learner is not actually engaged. In MSP environments especially, it is very easy to “let training run” while doing other work. Pausing playback when the tab loses focus helps ensure that time spent in training reflects actual participation.

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What Should Happen When You Return to the Tab

When you return to the Empath tab or bring the browser window back into focus:

• The video should resume from the point where it was paused

• Progress should continue tracking normally

• You should not lose your place in the video

If this behavior is working as described, everything is functioning correctly.

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When This Might Not Work as Expected

In some cases, users report that when they return to the Empath tab:

• The video does not resume correctly

• Playback restarts from an earlier point

• Progress appears to be lost after returning to the tab

When this happens, the cause is usually browser memory management, not Empath itself.

Modern browsers, especially Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, aggressively manage memory. If you have memory-saving or tab-suspension features enabled, the browser may unload the Empath tab from memory while it is inactive. When this occurs, Empath may not be able to fully restore the playback state.

This is more likely if:

• You have many tabs open

• You are using Chrome or Edge with memory optimization enabled

• Your system is under memory pressure

• The tab has been inactive for a longer period of time

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What to Do If Playback Does Not Resume Correctly

If you return to the Empath tab and playback does not resume where expected:

1. Refresh the page once and check whether progress resumes correctly

2. Confirm that your browser does not have aggressive tab-suspension or memory-saving features enabled

3. Try reproducing the behavior in another browser as a quick test

If refreshing the page causes the video to restart unexpectedly or progress is consistently lost, please report the issue.

You can do this by:

• Emailing support@empathmsp.com, or

• Clicking the support chat bubble in the lower right corner of app.empathmsp.com

Include the following details if possible:

• Browser and version

• Operating system

• Whether memory-saving features are enabled

• Approximate length of the video

• What behavior you expected versus what occurred

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Can This Behavior Be Changed?

Currently, pausing playback when a tab loses focus is an intentional product decision.

If you would like to see this behavior changed, adjusted, or made configurable, please submit feedback through the Empath feedback forum. Be specific about:

• What behavior you would prefer

• Why it would improve learning or usability for your team

• Any edge cases that are particularly problematic

Other partners can upvote your feedback, which helps guide future product decisions.

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Key Takeaways

• Video playback pausing when a tab loses focus is intentional

• Playback should resume when you return to the tab

• Failure to resume is usually related to browser memory management

• Issues should be reported to support

• Behavior change requests belong in the feedback forum