YouTube unveils exciting updates: stable volume, You tab, and more

These updates include improvements to video playback, search capabilities, and overall platform design, and will become available in the coming weeks.

Stable Volume: YouTube is introducing a "Stable Volume" feature in its mobile app to reduce sudden volume changes. This feature is designed to provide a smoother default listening experience so that volume swings don't interfere with video enjoyment.

Seek With Ease: Users can now enjoy larger preview thumbnails when seeking within videos, making it easier to find specific content. Additionally, YouTube offers a quick way to cancel a scrub by returning your finger to the starting point, enhancing navigation.

Press to 2x: While watching videos in full screen or portrait mode, users can simply press and hold the player to automatically increase playback speed to 2x. This feature offers more control and flexibility over video playback.

Locked Video Player Screen: YouTube introduces the ability to lock the video player screen to prevent accidental taps while watching. Users can unlock the screen by holding down on a specific area, reducing interruptions during playback.

Interactive "Subscribe" and "Like" Buttons: Creators can now make "Subscribe" and "Like" buttons sparkle with a ring animation, encouraging viewers to engage with their content. Users will also see playful sparkles when interacting with these buttons.

Improved Comments Section: Top comments will be automatically rotated, allowing users to easily access the best community comments.

YouTube is also introducing a real-time animation that updates the number of views and likes for new video uploads within the first 24 hours.

Discover All Your Stuff in One Place: YouTube is combining the Library and Account page into a single You tab. This tab will display previously viewed videos, playlists, downloads, purchases, account settings, and channel information, making it easier for users to access their content and settings.

Search by Voice or Song: YouTube introduces the ability to search for songs by singing, humming, or playing. Leveraging AI technology, the platform matches sound to the original recording, making it easier for users to find songs.

Smart TV Improvements: YouTube on smart TVs adds a vertical menu for quicker access to video chapters, video descriptions, and comments by tapping the video title.

These updates reflect YouTube's commitment to improving the user experience by bringing in more modern design elements. The platform also hints that more design improvements are on the way, including to the YouTube Kids app.