Maisie Lloyd
I'm passionate about recording the world, but most of all driven by creativity and collaborative environments. My experience revolves around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
YouTube has listened to user feedback to develop fantastic features that will likely improve user experiences. The changes will be implemented across mobile, TV, desktop, and YouTube Music.
YouTube states over a dozen new features have begun to roll out, since the initial announcement on the 15th of November.
Playback speed
One of the features users can expect to see and be able to use is the adjustable playback speed. Initially, YouTube offered users the ability to speed up or slow down content in increments of 1, now however, users will be able to adjust the playback speed by 0.5.
Sleep timers
This new feature is going to change the game when it comes to viewing habits. Most users can share the experience of falling asleep to an auto-queue of YouTube videos.
This posed a bit of a dilemma for users, as they navigate the content they have and have not actively watched. This new feature will mitigate that by having users set a sleep timer. The sleep timer will turn off the content within a set time frame (which is selected by the users).
Collaborate playlist
YouTube looks to foster connections amongst users, providing the option for users to create and collaborate on playlists together.
The release demonstrates that YouTube is bringing more features to enhance music lovers’ experiences. This also means users have the same capabilities as competitors Spotify and Apple Music.
The feature will be available to TV users with the use of a link or QR code displayed on screen.
Miniplayer improvements
The feature will allow viewers to watch content and simultaneously scroll content options whilst also being able to adjust the size of the viewing window. This will make for a seamless watching experience as users are able to navigate to their next piece of content whilst continuing to browse what is in their current viewing window.
Badges for listeners
Users will be rewarded for their actions with badges! These badges will specifically celebrate the achievements of the users, whether that answering quizzes or reaching milestones on YouTube!
Customisable thumbnails
Users can create their playlist’s thumbnails with their own original imagery or utilise the new AI tool which can generate one for users. User simply need to upload their content to the platform, to then be able to edit with filters, stickers or text.
Enhanced TV experience
The viewing experience on YouTube when watching on a TV is about to change drastically. The feature is called ‘immersive channel pages’ and it auto-plays video content when users click on a creator’s channel.
This allows users to explore and watch content as they discover creators’ channels, opening up the opportunity to discover more exciting content!
User Interface changes
YouTube is implementing some visual changes across platforms to incorporate more brand elements like the iconic red hue, as well as some graphics to accentuate the screen and create a captivating viewing experience.
Users will be able to browse the comment section, YouTube shop all without leaving the content they’re watching. Making for a seamless experience across the app. This will be available to mobile, TV and web users.
We’d love to know what features you’re most excited to use!
