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Tag: YouTube

  • YouTube Music adds a new Recently Played widget for Android users

    YouTube Music adds a new Recently Played widget for Android users

    Google has been pushing its YouTube Music service hard in the past couple of months, adding new features and updating existing ones. Earlier in November, the platform received a useful “Play My Station” shortcut on Android, and a month prior to that Google announced that YouTube Music’s free version will be getting background playback – a feature normally reserved for premium users.

    Now there’s another update to YouTube Music and this time it’s a new “Recent Played” widget for Android. This feature was previewed back in October but now it is rolling out with version 4.55.55 of YouTube Music for Android, available on the Play Store.

    The widget takes 5×2 spaces on your home screen by default and it is divided into two main sections. The top part gives users the ability to play and pause songs, give them a “thumb up”, and it also shows the album art of the current song playing with some basic information such as the name and the artist.

    The bottom part is a grid layout shortcut that gives you “quick access to your recently played videos, albums, playlists, and more.” In the largest 5×4 configuration you can cram up 10 elements in that particular section, and you can also resize the widget to be 5×1 or 4×1 but doing so will hide the bottom element and will leave only the barebone play/pause part hiding the thumb button too.

    The Recently Played widget follows Android 12’s Material You design philosophy, supporting also the Dynamic Color feature. If you don’t see the widget after updating to version 4.55.55, force stop the app and relaunch again.

  • Photo shows that Google is testing Material You design for Android’s YouTube app

    Photo shows that Google is testing Material You design for Android’s YouTube app

    Some new buttons that Google is testing for the Android version of the YouTube app point toward the release of a Material You update for the popular video streamer. According to Google, Material You is “a radical new way to think about design. Material You will transform design for Android, for Google, and for the entire tech industry.”

    New look for YouTube buttons currently being tested hints at Material You update for YouTube in the near future

    The Google News-Telegram group has posted a photo revealing that Google is testing a new look for the row of buttons found under a YouTube video that appears to have been taken from the Material Design 3 guidelines that Google released in October. The revised Material You look adds pill-shaped buttons under the video. One button shows the combined number of likes and dislikes. Three weeks ago, Google did away with showing the number of dislikes that YouTube videos have garnered in order to protect their creators.

    You might notice that the text revealing the title of each button is now placed next to the icon instead of underneath it which forces the bar to be longer. It isn’t known just yet when Android users can expect to receive the new button design which would be the first sign of an impending Material You update for the app.

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  • YouTube Music Wear OS app now supports older smartwatches

    YouTube Music Wear OS app now supports older smartwatches

    Google revealed last month that it will eventually bring some of its apps reserved for Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 to other smartwatches. One of these apps, YouTube Music has finally made its debut on Wear OS 2 smartwatches powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipsets.

    Initially added to a range of smartwatches powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4100 and 4100+ chipsets like the new Gen 6 smartwatches from Fossil and Michael Kors, Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, TicWatch Pro 3 Cellular/LTE, and TicWatch E3, the new YouTube Music app is now available for older smartwatches running Wear OS 2.

    The YouTube Music Wear OS app has been updated in the Google Play Store and it’s now available for at least two older smartwatches: Moto 360 and TAG Heuer Connected.

    Despite the fact that its availability is rather limited, it’s safe to assume that more smartwatch models will be added to the supported list in the coming days (if not already). If your smartwatch is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, then it might be a good idea to look for an update on your wearable device or phone.

    Keep in mind that while the new YouTube Music app will let you download playlists for offline listening without your phone, the feature requires a YouTube Music Premium subscription.

  • YouTube adds ‘continue watching’ feature to mobile

    YouTube adds ‘continue watching’ feature to mobile

    YouTube is once again testing out a new feature, and this one isn’t only for Premium users, but seems to be slowly making its way across the platform to all. In a bid to further enhance video watching continuity across devices, the YouTube platform is introducing a new “continue watching” feature for Android and iOS mobile devices.

    A feature like this already exists on the web version of YouTube (shown below), which allows users to continue watching a video from where they last left off, even after getting off the computer and using YouTube on mobile in between.

    YouTube is already the second most popular “social media” app—ranking second only to Facebook across the globe, and beating out WhatsApp in active user count. YouTube is the place where you can get lost in videos of every genre imaginable, from science and educational videos to video game streams, conspiracy theories, keeping up with your favorite vloggers, and the list goes on.

    And because of its widespread popularity, it’s only natural that the video app provides no less than a streamlined watching experience across all platforms it is used on.

    Once the new “continue watching” feature rolls out to your own handset, this will mean that even if you were watching a YouTube video on your laptop and your battery dies, or you have to go somewhere, you are able to whip out your phone at any time, open the YouTube app, and you will see the mini-player at the bottom, allowing you to open up the last YouTube video you never finished. It will start playing at most a couple of seconds back from where it dropped off, on whichever device played it previously.

    Naturally, in order for your mobile YouTube app to be able to sync your watched videos between various devices, you need to make sure you are logged into the same Google account on your computer, tablet, and phones.

    The “continue watching” feature for YouTube on mobile is no longer in beta phase, either, so although we don’t know exactly how YouTube is going about rolling it out, you can likely expect it to hit your phone anytime in the coming weeks.

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  • Google introduces new 4K Plus add-on on YouTube TV

    Google introduces new 4K Plus add-on on YouTube TV

    If you think YouTube TV’s price has gone haywire, you’re not wrong. Currently, the price for a YouTube TV subscription is $65 per month, although the service started at a $35 tier several years ago.

    Apart from the price customers must pay to get access to their favorite channels, Google added all sorts of perks that aren’t included in the base package. The most recent one is the 4K Plus add-on that does exactly that: it lets you watch 4K content.

    However, you’ll only be able to watch “select live and on-demand content” in 4K from several channels like Discovery, ESPN, FOX Sports, FX, Nat Geo, NBC Sports, and Tastemade. Not to mention that in order for this to work, you’ll need an additional gadget like a compatible 4K enabled TV and/or streaming device.

    Besides being able to watch 4K content, the new add-on will let you download shows to watch offline. Also, you’ll get unlimited streams at home, whereas until now you would be limited to just three streams.

    Obviously, the new add-on isn’t free, so if you want to watch 4K content, you’ll have to come up with $19.99 per month. The good news is the first month is available for free if you sign up now, and then a price of $10 per month for one year. This is only available for customers in the US who have an active YouTube TV subscription and subscribe to the 4K Plus add-on for the first time.

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  • YouTube users running iOS will soon be able to use PiP to multitask

    YouTube users running iOS will soon be able to use PiP to multitask

    YouTube said today that its Premium subscribers using iOS are currently receiving support for the iOS 14 picture-in-picture mode. All U.S YouTube users running iOS will eventually get this mode regardless if they have a Premium subscription or not. Explaining what picture-in-picture does, YouTube said in a statement that, “Picture-in-Picture (PiP) allows users to watch YouTube videos in a small mini player while simultaneously browsing outside of the YouTube app on their mobile device.”

    YouTube reiterated what we said in the first paragraph. “We’re starting to roll out PiP (picture-in-picture) for YouTube Premium members on iOS and plan to launch PiP for all U.S. iOS users as well.” With this feature, YouTube users will be able to shut the YouTube app and continue viewing the video that they were watching from a small pop-up window.

    There had been certain workarounds that YouTube users with an iPhone could use on mobile Safari to get PiP to run. That would include asking the mobile browser to run the desktop version of YouTube. That workaround has been blocked and frankly, based on what the Google unit is saying today, there really is no reason to put together a workaround for YouTube PiP on iOS.

    Android users viewing YouTube for free already have had the ability to view YouTube video using PiP for multitasking. For years, YouTube had constantly tried to get iPhone users to sign up for the Premium service by promoting PiP multitasking. But soon, even YouTube non-subscribers will be able to use PiP to multitask in the U.S.

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  • Test allows YouTube viewers to watch in full-screen mode while also viewing comments

    Test allows YouTube viewers to watch in full-screen mode while also viewing comments

    Google has been testing a revision to the comments section for the Android version of YouTube. With the test, Google will allow YouTube users to view and scroll comments on Android even when in full-screen mode. Previously, in full-screen mode users would not be able to read comments because of the lack of room. With the update, the video is minimized allowing users to view the content while the comments appear on a sliding panel.

    After viewing all of the comments that a user might care to read, swiping down on the screen from the top of the banner will hide these comments and once they are swiped away, the screen returns to its usual size. Now we should point out that you can also read comments and view a YouTube video at the same time if you’re watching the video in portrait mode.

    If Google is pleased with the response from the testing and decides to roll this out to all Android-powered YouTube users, we might get a good idea what Android users think about certain content on the app. Instead of having to choose between watching full-screen YouTube content and getting to read comments from those fellow YouTube users, you’ll be able to do both. It’s called multitasking!

    Again, the testing by Google appears to be limited in scope, but we won’t object if you decide to see whether you and your phone are part of the test.

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  • Google is testing two features for mobile YouTube users

    Google is testing two features for mobile YouTube users

    Google has been busy testing new features on the mobile version of YouTube. Remember back in 2007 when one ad for the Apple iPhone said that “maybe the biggest surprise is finding YouTube on your phone.” But these days, every iOS and Android phone has access to the streaming video site and Google continues to improve the UI and functionality of the app.

    For example, a limited number of Android users are in the process of testing a feature called Loop video that is already offered to those running the desktop version of YouTube. With this feature, a video will automatically continue to play over and over again. This really isn’t meant for a long movie like Titanic (which runs for three hours and 30 minutes), but for short music videos that can be over in under four minutes.

    If you have an Android device, you can look for the Loop video option by tapping the three-dot menu button. The feature does have an icon consisting of a right-facing arrow on top, a left-facing arrow at the bottom with the number “1” sandwiched in between.

    Also being tested is another feature called Clip that allows YouTube users to create 60-second video clips from existing videos. The clip you create can then be shared with others. Clip, which uses the image of a scissor for its icon, is being tested on both Android and iOS devices which means that you might not see it on your device at the moment.

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  • iPhone users finally getting the YouTube Music Now Playing redesign

    iPhone users finally getting the YouTube Music Now Playing redesign

    It took Google nine months to bring the redesigned Now Playing UI to YouTube Music users on iOS. iPhone owners probably don’t remember, but redesigned Now Playing UI was first released on Android back in June.

    The new redesign makes it easier to access various controls by putting them on the same page. For example, the shuffle and repeat buttons show up on the Now Playing page instead of being hidden in the queue. Some of the buttons have been moved around to make room for the new ones, but the important thing is that it’s now easier to access them.

    There’s one important feature that’s hidden behind the artwork displayed while a song is played, so make sure to tap on it if you want to share, download, start listening to a radio station, or cast. iPhone users who received the new UI will also notice that there’s a smaller Song/Video toggle at the top of the cover art.

    The new Now Playing UI redesigned is rolled out to iPhone users in waves. There’s no way to manually download this yet, as YouTube has decided to make it available via a server-side update.

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  • YouTube TV confirms 4K streaming support and offline viewing option

    YouTube TV confirms 4K streaming support and offline viewing option

    Word that YouTube TV might allow users to download shows for offline view surfaced a few days ago. Today, the company announced several premium features that will be available for all users of the streaming service.

    First and foremost, YouTube TV will introduce a new add-on package with 4K streaming, offline viewing, and unlimited concurrent streams at home. This means that a YouTube TV base plan that supports six user accounts and up to three simultaneous streams will be able to take advantage of the 4K streaming option without restrictions.

    Unfortunately, this will come as “an optional add-on for members” for which they will have to pay. The amount hasn’t been revealed yet, but we suspect it will be announced once the new features will be ready for prime time.

    What’s really strange is the fact that YouTube TV has decided to put the option to download shows for offline viewing under a paywall too. Other streaming services typically offer these features for free, but for some reason, YouTube TV feels that those 3 million paid subscribers that it now has will be willing to pay extra for something that should be free.

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  • YouTube TV might soon allow users to download shows for offline watching

    YouTube TV might soon allow users to download shows for offline watching

    Most streaming services allow their users to download content for offline watching, which is especially helpful while on the go. Spotify and HBO both offer this option to their customers, but not YouTube TV, at least not for the moment.

    The good news is Google plans to add this nifty feature to the Android app. Apparently, there are strings in the app’s code that refer to this particular feature that’s not yet available. Also, the latest YouTube TV update on Android devices introduces a new alert, which notifies the users about incomplete downloads.

    The strings in the code clearly mention the ability to download shows for offline watching, which will be available in the “downloads” tab of the app. They also refer to a “Download” button that’s not yet available in the YouTube TV app.

    Although the feature was only discovered in the Android app, we expect Google to make it available to YouTube TV users on iOS as well probably at the same time. So, if you’ve been waiting for such a feature know that it will be coming, and very soon apparently.

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  • Google shuts down Play Music Store, users advised to transition to YouTube Music

    Google shuts down Play Music Store, users advised to transition to YouTube Music

    Despite repeatedly announcing the upcoming closure of Google Play Music, there are probably a lot of people who are still using the music streaming service. Google has been adamant that regardless of whether or not YouTube Music will reach the parity of Play Music feature-wise, those using the latter will eventually have to switch to the former.

    Today, Google took one important step toward the deprecation of Play Music. The search giant announced that the Music store on Google Play is no longer available. If you’re one of the many music lovers who are still using Google Play Music, you have three choices as of today.

    First off, if you wish to continue listening to your Play Music library, discover new music with personalized recommendations, you must transfer your library to YouTube Music. Secondly, if you don’t want to transition to YouTube Music, you can keep your purchased music via Google Takeout. This option allows you to download previously purchased music from Google Play Uploaded tracks, your music wishlist and reviews, a list of the tracks, playlists, and radio stations in your library.

    Finally, there’s also the option to delete your Play Music library and recommendations history from the Google Play Music account settings. No matter which of the three options you choose, you must act by the end of the year, since that’s when the Google Play Music app will no longer be accessible and all data will be lost.

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  • YouTube Music introduces assistive playlists on Android and iOS

    YouTube Music introduces assistive playlists on Android and iOS

    YouTube Music has added a lot of new features and improvements in the last couple of months, but the most recent one is quite useful for those who’d like to listen to similar songs that made it their favorite playlists.

    As the title says, YouTube Music now features so-called “assistive playlists,” an easy way to provide users with suggestions of relevant songs based on playlist name, existing songs in the playlists, and listening history.

    Google’s algorithm will now know what music you like and suggests songs that are not on your playlists but you might like. The new feature offers up to seven suggestions when editing playlists, but you can add even more when you hit the Refresh button.

    If you missed any of the previous new features introduced by YouTube Music in recent months, here is a quick rundown of the most important ones. First off, we have collaborative playlists that let you create and modify playlists with other YouTube Music users.

    Then, there are the profile page playlists that allow you to browse other listener’s public music playlists and uploaded music videos from their profile page on the music streaming service.

    With the new “Mixed for You” section in the YouTube Music home feed, users can easily find playlists created by Google including Discover mix, New release mix, Your mix, and Liked songs playlists.

    Last but not least, YouTube Music has been improved with programmed mood and genre playlists for those who want to listen to specific tunes. All the new YouTube Music features are now available worldwide on Android and iOS devices.

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  • YouTube TV outrageously raises monthly subscription prices

    YouTube TV outrageously raises monthly subscription prices

    It’s not the first time that Google decides to raise YouTube TV subscription prices whenever it felt that the portfolio was large enough to justify the price hikes. Unfortunately, this time it raised the monthly subscription costs by quite a lot and we’re quite sure that many customers will refuse to renew their subscriptions.

    The search giant announced earlier this week that YouTube TV monthly fees will increase from $50 to $65, so customers would have to pay about 30% more. The new price takes effect on June 30 for new subscribers, while existing subscribers will see the changes reflected in their next billing cycle on or after July 30.

    To justify the new price, Google reiterates that it added eight of ViacomCBS’s family channels – BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1, which will be available starting today. Six other channels will be added to YouTube TV at a later date, including BET Her, MTV2, MTV Classic, Nick Jr., Nick Toon, and TeenNick.

    According to Google, the price increase was necessary because most networks require that YouTube TV include not just some of their channels, but all of them. Perhaps adding one or more flexible plans to its portfolio might allow customers to choose what they want to watch and how much they want to pay.

    Customers who wish to pause or cancel their YouTube TV membership can do it anytime here. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to pay a lot more starting July 30.

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  • Since Huawei can’t use the top video sharing service

    Since Huawei can’t use the top video sharing service

    A bit over a year ago, the U.S. Commerce Department placed Huawei on its Entity List preventing the company from accessing its U.S. supply chain. This prevents the manufacturer from licensing Google Mobile Services and installing core Google apps on its phones. The company also cannot install apps like the Play Store, Gmail, Search, Maps, and Drive. This doesn’t matter inside China where most of Google’s apps are banned anyway, but it could affect demand for the global versions of the company’s handsets.

    Huawei has been using an open-source version of Android and debuted its own Huawei Mobile Services with the recently released P40 series. HMS features Huawei’s own AppGallery app storefront which includes the Petal Search app. The latter has a cool feature that allows users to search for a particular app. If an app cannot be found in AppGallery, Petal Search will find a third-party app store that lists the app and provides a link to install it. This will also work with apps developed by U.S. companies such as Snapchat and Instagram giving owners of Huawei phones a way around the Commerce Department’s ban.

    Another one of Google’s popular apps that is not allowed to be installed on Huawei’s phones is YouTube. Google acquired the video streaming app in October 2006 for $1.65 billion in Google stock. As with everything else that the U.S. Commerce Department bans Huawei from, the Chinese manufacturer has been searching for a replacement that is out of reach of the Trump administration. The video-sharing tech platform located in France has signed a deal with Huawei Video. Through this new partnership, DailyMotion’s video player technology has been integrated with the Huawei Video app. Dailymotion, for those unaware, is the second-largest video sharing platform in the world behind YouTube.

    The technology package includes a robust white-label video player, a large volume of international and local video content via Dailymotion’s API as well as a strong monetization solution of the video inventory. In other words, Huawei users will have access to a large selection of videos that can be monetized by including ads with a video. The decision about monetizing content is up to Dailymotion’s video creators. Dailymotion says, “Committed to supporting renowned global publishers like Huawei Video, Dailymotion believes that its video technology solutions will continue to enrich the content of publishers, to expand their digital footprint and reach a global audience.”  It might not be the same content found on YouTube, but the Dailymotion app might include plenty of European content that should find favor among owners of the global variants of Huawei handsets.

    The international and local content available from Dailymotion is expected to broaden the audience for the Huawei Video app. Stéphane Godin, Dailymotion’s, Chief Content Officer said, “Thanks to all our premium partners, Dailymotion is able to distribute a large amount of videos and playlists to third-party publishers. We are proud to collaborate with Huawei to make all of our content catalog reach new premium audiences.” A Huawei executive also chimed in; Jervis Su, Vice President of Mobile Services, Huawei Consumer Business Group stated, “We’re pleased to offer our Huawei Video service so that people across the globe can easily explore thousands of videos and movies available from our partners, including Dailymotion, anywhere and anytime. We are committed to bringing more choice to consumers. We also hope it will bring some joy to all of their lives at this time.”

    The U.S. considers Huawei to be a national security threat due to a perceived tie to the communist Chinese government. Administration officials believe that Huawei’s gear contains backdoors that collect data from consumers and corporations and sends it to Beijing. Huawei has repeatedly denied these allegations.