YouTube's recommendations rely on an algorithm that reads signals from your viewing habits, but it can easily go astray, filling your homepage, sidebar and end-of-video suggestions with irrelevant content. This happens when the system is misreading your interests or lacks enough data to work from, and Engadget outlines several practical adjustments users can make to retrain it and get more relevant suggestions.

The advice centres on four areas: ensuring watch history tracking is switched on via Google Account privacy settings (since it can otherwise leave YouTube's homepage blank); actively sending positive signals such as liking, subscribing, commenting and completing videos; giving negative feedback through the "Dislike," "Not interested" and "Don't recommend channel" options; and preventing other people, such as children using a shared device, from skewing your data by setting up separate profiles or locking your account. Engadget notes it can take time for these changes to filter through, and unwanted recommendations may occasionally resurface before the algorithm properly adjusts.