YouTube has changed the user interface of its Video Player UI on mobile devices. Ishan Agarwal, on Twitter yesterday, tweeted a proof of this as a screenshot, noting that the new feature is “being rolled out on both Android & iOS devices, with direct access to buttons like Like/Dislike, Sharing, and Comments.”
The new interface should make it easier for viewers to access the “Like” or “Dislike” tabs, read comments, and “Share” tabs; which is hidden behind a swipe-up gesture on the “more videos” section in the old version. YouTube has now displayed these features at the bottom left corner on the video player. Of course this is only possible when you’re viewing from full screen view.
As you can see (in the screenshot by Ishan), the new update is effective only when a viewer is watching in full screen mode — it looks exactly the same as if you’re watching a video in portrait mode.
In the old version it was impossible to access the share feature and other controls while you’re on full screen mode. In otherworld, the old user interface didn’t have the like or dislike feature, while you’re watching in landscape. You’d need to swipe up to see the like or dislike feature, or exit full-screen mode by swiping down on the video. Now, you’re getting that when watching in landscape view as well.
What’s more?
You can watch a YouTube video and see comments alongside, while in full screen mode. This used to be possible only on YouTube desktop.
In the old version you had to tap on the comment area while viewing in portrait mode to read comments that were made, and then switch into full-screen mode. The new UI changed all that. Now you can pull the comments up by tapping the comment feature.
The new features rolled out on Monday to both iOS and Android devices. As you can see in my screenshot above, I was able to independently verify this while watching a video by TV360 Nigeria, and spotted the new UI features.
I’m not certain iOS users have them but if you’re on Android 11 you should check out the new features as it might have been released to your device. However, make sure you have the version 17.03.35 of the app running on your device.
