myTube is one of the most popular YouTube apps for Windows 10, with its roots set back in the days of Windows Phone, when Google refused to provide an official app for the platform. On a PC, the need for a YouTube app may be largely reduced, since you can easily use the website, but there are still some advantages to using myTube, including a more touch-friendly UI, a design language that fits much better into the Windows 10 ecosystem, and no ads. Last year, developer Ryken Studio launched a beta version of myTube 4.0 as part of an event called Launch 2019.
It's been a long time coming, but today, myTube 4.0 is available to download, and it brings with it a ton of changes, starting with pricing. With version 4.0, myTube will be free, meaning you can play videos without any time limits or restrictions without having to pay for it. A Pro version of the app is available as an in-app purchase, which unlocks some extra features:
- Clip videos into short GIFs or MP4s (PC and mobile)
- Create your own color scheme for the app
- Schedule automatic theme changes at different times of the day
- Pin an unlimited number of items to the side menu
- Receive notifications from an unlimited number of channels
A lifetime license of myTube Pro is available for $0.99 for the next 24 hours (until December 16 at 12PM EST). After that, the price will go up to $6.99, or you can opt for a $0.99 monthly subscription.
Aside from the new Pro version, this release of myTube comes with plenty of changes. The first one you'll notice is the new icon, as well as a brand-new design, which has been completely revamped to fit better into modern Windows 10 standards. The app uses more reveal lighting effects, transparency, rounded corners, and more. Plus, the UI is more unified across Xbox and PC versions of the app. The Recommended section of YouTube is now available as its own tab on the app's home screen, and thumbnails now show an animated preview of the video when moused over (or when in focus on Xbox).
The side menu is always visible as you navigate the app. Additionally, as mentioned above, items such as channels, videos, and playlists can be pinned to the side menu for quick access. For channel subscriptions, the option to display them directly in the side menu instead of a collapsible list is also available. Context menus in the app have also been redesigned to be more compact.
Turning to video playback improvements, there are a handful of changes here, including better support for YouTube premieres, new keyboard shortcuts, and more. Here's the full list of improvements:
- Ctrl+T can now be used to enter Theater Mode, and Ctrl+P can now be used to enter Picture-in-Picture
- Long comments are automatically collapsed to 10 lines, with an option to expand them
- Added the ability to rearrange the playback queue
- The app can now detect premiere videos and handle them better
- When seeking with touch, you can now touch the screen with a second finger to cancel seeking
- Added the ability to display multiple subtitle blocks that have overlapping timing
- YouTube embed URLs can now be read from the clipboard
- Video timestamps can now be read from URLs in the clipboard
We've highlighted myTube as one of our favorite Windows 10 apps in the past, and we've also been testing this beta release since last year. It's still one of the best ways to use YouTube on Windows 10, especially on touchscreen devices. If you're interested, you can download myTube from the Microsoft Store.
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