YouTube is reportedly working to add a new customization feature for playlists that will improve the experience for the playlist creator and viewers. Android Authority spotted some new strings during the APK teardown of YouTube for Android v19.26.33 beta.
The strings suggest that YouTube will allow users to upload custom thumbnail covers for playlists they create on their account. Several error messages such as "Try again," "Upload failed," and "Your image dimension is smaller than the minimum supported" are included in the strings. However, there is no word on when (or if) the feature will be available to the general public in a future update.
When you create a playlist on YouTube, the streaming platform automatically picks the thumbnail of the first video as the playlist cover. The max you can do is rearrange the order of the videos and YouTube will automatically choose the thumbnail of the first video again. There is no option to upload an image from your end.
That"s not the case with YouTube videos where you can use the auto-generated thumbnail or upload a custom image from your desktop, Android, or iOS device. You can upload a custom thumbnail with a maximum resolution of 1280x720 in various formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG.
YouTube recommends using a 16:9 aspect ratio for thumbnails because it"s the most used in previews and YouTube players. For podcasts, it recommends an aspect ratio of 1:1 instead of 16:9 for the thumbnail.
The streaming platform limits the number of video thumbnails a channel can upload each day. These limits depend on factors such as the region/country where the channel is based, its channel history, copyright strikes, and community guidelines strikes.
Custom thumbnails are not available for YouTube Shorts and you need to pick a frame from your Short to use as the thumbnail that shows up in places like search results and hashtags. It remains to be seen whether the same rules will apply to playlist covers or there will be different requirements.
Source and image: Android Authority