While YouTube is amidst something of a war of words with the music business (see a recent post by Lyor Cohen and subsequent response by the Recording Industry Association), the Internet’s most popular video hosting site—last reported at 1.5 billion monthly users—is releasing a number of updates that will bring a “new level of functionality and a more consistent look” to both its desktop and mobile platforms.
According to a post today on the company's blog, YouTube has already begun the updates including a new design for desktop just released and other new features which will be rolled-out throughout the rest of the year.
For mobile, YouTube will see a “cleaner” design with a white header (to “let content take the lead”) and moved the navigation tabs to the bottom of the app (to be “closer to your thumbs”). The video platform also added new library and account tabs. Earlier in the year, YouTube added a feature that allows users to double tap on the left or right side of a video to fast forward or rewind 10 seconds.
Upcoming mobile features will include the ability to jump between previous and next videos by swiping; speeding up and slowing down videos; seamlessly changing the shape of the video to match vertical, square or horizontal formatting; and enhancing the ability to browse and discover while watching.
YouTube has also developed a new desktop design which became available to all users around the globe today. The new look applies what it calls “Material Design,” which is “a unified system that combines theory, resources, and tools for crafting digital experiences.”
The post highlights one of the new desktop designs called Dark Theme, which turns the background dark and enables a more “cinematic” experience.
The video platform also introduced a new logo which has been "cleaned up" and is more flexible.
