YouTube is getting a redesign across platforms — desktop and mobile versions, to be exact — and the makeover comes with a few welcome features.
However, arguably the most noticeable change here is there's a new logo in store, and it's not just minor tweaks here and there like before.
YouTube Logo
YouTube now has a new logo, and according to Google, it's a "cleaned up version of the YouTube wordmark and icon" that's designed for a "multi-screen world."
More than just a change for the sake of change, the company continues to say that it's been updated to be more flexible. By "flexible," it means that it works better on different kinds of screens, including but not limited to monitors and smartphone and tablet displays.
"When room is limited (say on a smartphone) you can use the brightened up Icon as an abbreviated Logo, which will be seen more easily and read more clearly," Google says.
YouTube Desktop
Back in May, YouTube's desktop version got a big makeover, sporting a new clean Material design and coming with a new dark mode feature.
At the time, it was in an opt-in beta phase, and what this development essentially does is it's taking it out of that stage and rolling it out to everyone after positive feedback.
Aside from the dark mode, one other feature worth noting here is the option to hide the left panel by clicking on the hamburger button positioned in the upper-left corner. That way, users will get a better look at their content in Home, Trending, or Subscription.
YouTube Mobile
Unsurprisingly, the YouTube mobile app also got the same redesign treatment. That's not all it's getting, though, as Google is bringing a lot of new features to the table.
To start things off, there's a new gesture that lets users jump to other videos by swiping left for the previous clip and swiping right for the next one in line. Meanwhile, swiping up in full-screen mode will pull up a row of suggested videos so users can browse while watching.
Also, the YouTube app now allows users to slow down a video too. If this feature sounds familiar, that's because it's been available to the desktop website for quite some time now.
What's more, Google added in a new Library and Account tabs to give users easy access to things they're looking for.
Last but not least, the app now has the function to adapt to vertical videos, getting rid of those annoying black bars and giving users the best view to watch content.
Now time for some bad news. One of the most beloved features of the desktop version is heading to the mobile anytime soon, and what we're talking about here is the dark mode option.
Night-time mode has been fairly common nowadays, and it's available in such apps as Twitter and Reddit, to name a few. Google didn't explain why it's giving the mobile version the cold shoulder, so to speak, but hopefully, it's on its way in the foreseeable future.
At any rate, hit up the video below to get a better picture of what's new:
Just in case it's unclear, the YouTube update is already making its way to devices out there.
