It has been a little over a decade since YouTube first launched. When it first launched, it only offered one resolution and one aspect ratio. Today, the platform offers videos in a variety of different formats including UHD, 360, 3D, and even live broadcasts on a variety of different devices.
Over the past few months, the firm has been updating its mobile and desktop experience with enhancements in an attempt to bring better functionality to the service across its ecosystem.
On the mobile side of things, the firm is updating its apps with features that it has been testing for the past few weeks:
- Clean new design: We’ve made the header white to let content take the lead and moved the navigation tabs to the bottom of the app so they’re closer to your thumbs. We also added new Library and Account tabs that give you easy access to what you’re looking for.
- Videos that move with you: One of the things we’re working on is bringing gestures to YouTube. Earlier this year, we introduced a gesture that allows you to double tap on the left or right side of a video to fast forward or rewind 10 seconds. Give it a try! We already see billions of double taps per day. And I wanted to give you a sneak peek at another gesture I am really excited about. In the coming months, we'll experiment with a feature that lets you jump between videos with a simple swipe of your hand: just swipe left to watch a previous video or swipe right to watch the next one.
- Watch at your own pace: Users love that they are able to speed up and slow down the playback of a video on desktop, and we're excited to bring this feature to the mobile app today, so you can enjoy videos at whatever speed you prefer.
- Adapt to any video, beautifully: We've also been experimenting with new ways to display all videos in the best possible way. Soon, the YouTube player will seamlessly change shape to match the video format you’re watching, such as vertical, square or horizontal. That means you’ll always get the best viewing experience automatically – including vertical videos with no black bars on the sides!
- Browse and discover while you watch: We recently added a feature that lets you view a row of suggested videos while you’re watching in full screen. We're also working on transforming the area below the player so you can browse videos in totally new ways.
As for the desktop experience, YouTube has slowly rolled out a new design, which should be available to all starting today. The new look utilizes Material Design, offers a more intuitive experience, and even has a Dark Theme which turns the background dark for a more dramatic look. Lastly, the firm is evolving its iconic logo, making it more identifiable, which will also roll out to desktop and mobile today.
Source: YouTube
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