Without a solid challenger present, we should consider ourselves lucky that YouTube functions as well as it does, even if the video player has felt a little… off lately. Today, Google announced that it was rolling out a major visual update to the platform globally this week, alongside some new quality-of-life upgrades to play around with.
YouTube finally tackles its toughest opponent: YouTube
The biggest upgrade headed to YouTube’s mobile, desktop, and TV users is also the first one users will notice after clicking on a video, or by simply looking at the image above. The updated video player, which some users have had access to for the last month or so, attempts to be a cleaner and “more immersive” solution by offering new controls and icons that Google promises to be more “visually satisfying while obscuring less content.”
One of the features we’re most excited to see is also one we’ve already tested. Reddit-like comment threads have floated around the Premium-only beta test tank for so long now, we were beginning to question whether it’d ever see the light of day. Well, now it has, bringing some order to the chaos that is a YouTube comment section.
Read More: YouTube finally brings improved audio, 4x playback to subscribers
Less interesting is YouTube’s promise of “custom, dynamic” like button animations that alter depending on the content you’re watching. This will only be available for select videos, with musical videos displaying a musical note, and sportier videos including a visual cue from the game — that sort of thing. It’s not as handy as, say, YouTube’s new design simplifying the process of adding a video to your ‘Watch Later’ list.
Finally, Google reckons it has “updated the double-tap to skip feature to make it more modern and less intrusive to your video watching experience.” How exactly it pulls this off remains a mystery that we’ll have to find out for ourselves. It won’t be long before we’re given the chance, with the update set to properly roll out for all this week.
