YouTube Unveils 20 Upgrades – Here’s What You Need to Know

Google-owned YouTube is rolling out new features and design updates to its platform to improve the user experience. The new features offer better control, easier discovery and a modern animated design.

These new changes will gradually roll out to all YouTube users around the world over the coming weeks.

Here are some of the most important features released by YouTube

– Stable Volume: Launched today, Stable Volume automatically turns on to reduce distracting volume differences, improving the overall viewing and listening experience.

– Press 2x: If you are one of those users who enjoy watching videos in double time, now it is easier to do. According to the company, when watching a video in either full screen or portrait mode, press and hold anywhere on the player and the playback speed will automatically increase by 2x.

This feature is available on the web, tablets and mobile devices.

– Search easily: YouTube also publishes larger preview thumbnails. “We also make it easier to change your mind – if you start searching and need to go back, move your finger to where you started and lift when you feel the vibration. We’ll click you back to the part of the video where you left off,” the company said.

– Lock screen: YouTube is also introducing a lock screen on mobile devices and tablets to allow users to lock their screens to prevent unwanted distractions.

– The You tab: To make it more intuitive to find all your YouTube content in one place, the Library tab and the account page have been combined into a new home called the You tab, where you can find videos you’ve previously watched, playlists, your downloads and purchases, as well as settings and channel information related to your account.

The You tab, published today, can be found in the place where the Library tab used to be online, on mobile devices and tablets.

– Search by voice or song: Users can now search for a song by playing, singing or humming. The company uses artificial intelligence to match the audio to the original recording. The feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks and is currently available for Android devices.

– Animations: Now when creators ask viewers to “like” or “subscribe”, a visual cue on the buttons will appear in sync with the video. And when fans press the button, they’re rewarded with a subtle playful sparkle.

“The most popular comments automatically rotate so you can scan the best comments in the community. And for new video uploads, we added a new animation that updates the number of views and likes in real time in the first 24 hours to show how many other users are interested in what they’re watching,” the company said.

YouTube experience on smart TVs: According to the company, on smart TVs, viewers can find information about the video they’re watching in a new vertical menu – which offers a clearer look. They can just click on the video name to enter a new menu. At the same time, web and mobile also get a scrollable description section.

The company is also rolling out similar improvements on web and mobile, including a scrollable description section with a clearer design.