A few days ago, it was reported that YouTube users are accusing the company of hiding the skip ad button, forcing them to watch full ads. YouTube officially responded, stating that it is redesigning a few elements of the ad screen to provide users with a cleaner experience when interacting with advertisements.
Amidst all of this, YouTube did tweak an important element of the UI for Android TV. Reportedly, the YouTube channel menu is getting a new dual-column side design that doesn"t block the content that you are watching.
When you are watching a video on your Android TV or Google TV, you have the option to use your remote to check out more about the channel, subscribe to it, become a member (if the channel offers membership perks), or visit the channel to explore more of its content.
To visit the channel in its entirety, you need to long-press on the channel icon or profile picture, and then a menu opens. Until now, a floating card-style menu would pop up on top of the video, obscuring most of the right side of the content you are watching. The menu stays there until you dismiss it or use one of the on-screen options.
It appears that YouTube doesn"t want to obstruct what you are watching and is introducing a new channel side menu. The best part is that YouTube is not only tweaking the channel side menu but also refining the animations to bring some Material You flair to YouTube for Android TV, a trend it has followed over the past year.
The new YouTube channel side menu minimizes the video that you are watching letting you view the content in its entirety while the side menu appears on the right side. You get the same Subscribe, Join, and Go to channel buttons in the new menu as well.
As per Google, the new YouTube channel side menu for Android TV brings "the right balance between interactivity and immersion." The new change has been spotted on the recently launched Google TV Streamer and Chromecast with Google TV. However, the new menu isn"t available widely and should arrive gradually.
Source and image: 9To5Google