Google has finally started rolling out the long-announced redesign of the YouTube app for smart TVs and streaming devices like Apple TV. Although it was announced back in the spring, the update is arriving only now, but it brings a series of concrete improvements that visibly improve the comfort of daily use of the application.
Playback controls are now more clearly organized. Below the scroll bar, three separate entities appear: on the left are channel information, description and subscription options, in the middle are controls for previous clip, pause and next clip, while on the right are options for like, dislike, comments, save, subtitles and settings. This layout makes it easier to navigate and reduces the need for additional clicks.
Five key improvements in the new YouTube TV app
Video titles are no longer part of the interactive interface. Instead, they are displayed in the upper left corner of the screen and are no longer clickable, which is in line with Google’s earlier announcements and brings a cleaner display while viewing.
GoogleA new button has also been introduced Description which replaces the earlier clickable title feature. Through it, a side panel opens with details about the author, metadata about the recording, an overview of comments and quick access to chapters in the video. There is also information on whether part of the content was generated with the help of artificial intelligence.
Button Subscribe is now permanently visible within the playback controls and separate from the channel thumbnail. This simplifies the subscription process, and additionally enables the display of information about the content that is locked behind the subscription, as well as the setting of notifications for upcoming live broadcasts.
New specialized controls have also been added. It is available for broadcasting sports events Multiview option, while YouTube Music and YouTube Premium service subscribers get Display Mode control. Although the expansion of the Multiview option to other types of content was previously announced, it is not part of this update for now.
The introduced changes are not revolutionary, but they bring a visual refresh and greater consistency with the mobile versions of the application, which makes YouTube on TVs much more pleasant to use, writes Tech Radar.