From your phone to the TV, get a taste of the latest YouTube updates
Oct 17, 2023 – [[read-time]] minute read
Last year, we launched a new look and feel for YouTube, adding more modern design elements and features that helped our viewers feel more immersed while watching.
But we are just getting started: Today we are rolling out three dozen new features and design updates to help you get more out of YouTube. Whether you’re watching videos or creating them, here are a few of our favorites.
Even more control over how you watch
- Easy on the ears: We’re giving you better audio control on mobile devices. Rolling out starting today, “stable volume” will be automatically turned on to reduce jarring differences in volume, for an overall improved watching — and listening! — experience.
- Press to 2x: We know our users love to use different playback speeds on YouTube. If you’re one of the users who enjoy watching videos in double time, it’s now easier to do so. When watching a video either in full screen or portrait mode, just press and hold down anywhere on the player to automatically bump your playback speed to 2x. Once you get to the part of the video you want, simply let go! This feature will be available across web, tablets, and mobile devices.
- Seek with ease: Moon landings, outfit reveals, catchy song bridges… to help you find the best moments in videos, we’re launching bigger preview thumbnails while you seek. We’re also making it easier to change your mind — if you start seeking and need to go back, move your finger to where you started and lift when you feel a vibration; We’ll snap you back to the exact part of the video where you left off.
- Avoid accidental interruptions with lock screen: Has an accidental tap messed up your video while watching on your phone? In today’s update, we’re also rolling out lock screen on mobile and tablets so that you can lock your screen to prevent unwanted interruptions.
Find what you’re looking for
- Discover all your stuff in one place: To make it more intuitive to find all your YouTube stuff in one place, the Library tab and account page have been merged into a new home called You tab where you can find your previously watched videos, playlists, downloads and purchases, as well as your account-related settings and channel information. Rolling out today, You tab can be found where the Library tab used to be on web, mobile, and tablets.
- Search by voice or song: Got that tune you just can’t get out of your head? Whether you’re humming along to the latest Olivia Rodrigo hit or trying to master a NewJeans dance, users will be able to search for a song by playing, singing, or humming. Using AI to match the sound to the original recording, this feature will roll out in the next few weeks, and will be available on Android devices for now.
Connecting viewers with creators through a cleaner, more modern design
- Animations that celebrate meaningful moments: We wanted to bring more life to the video watching experience, so now when you’re watching on web or mobile, the page may react to what a creator says. Now, when creators ask viewers to “like” or “subscribe,” a visual cue on those buttons will appear in sync with the video. And once fans smash that button, a subtle explosion of playful sparkles will reward them. Top comments automatically rotate so you can scan the best commentary from the community. And, for new video uploads, we added a new animation that updates view count and like count in real time for the first 24 hours to show how many other users are engaging with what they’re watching.
- It’s all in the details: We’ve been modernizing the YouTube experience on Smart TVs over the past year, and now we’re adding a few more touches to make it easier to navigate videos. On Smart TVs, viewers can find details about a video they are watching in a new vertical menu that enables quicker access to features such as the video description, comments, the subscribe button, as well as video chapters. Just click on the video title while watching a video to pop up the menu. We’re also rolling out similar improvements on web and mobile, including a scrollable description section with a cleaner design.
These changes will roll out gradually to our users around the world over the coming weeks. Looking ahead, we are also excited to continue these efforts and bring more modern design elements to other areas of YouTube, such as the YouTube Kids app.
All of the features were shaped by the feedback we received from our viewers and creators, and are part of our ongoing commitment to make YouTube better for our users.