Google has announced that YouTube Music on the web and the YouTube Music app for iOS devices now offer podcasts natively.
The update, which is rolling out now, allows users of the main YouTube app to continue listening to podcasts directly on the YouTube Music app.
Podcasts on YouTube Music are accessible on-demand, offline, and can be listened to in the background or while casting, with options to swap between audio and video versions.The podcast feature is available through the Home tab by tapping on the Podcasts section at the top of the screen. Users can use the Explore feature to find popular podcasts based on categories, which include gaming, music, true crime, comedy, health and fitness, business and society and culture.
Google has made it clear that podcasts on YouTube Music are free and do not require a Premium subscription. However, it’s worth noting that Canadians would have to wait a little bit until they can start using the feature.
Currently, podcasts on YouTube Music are limited to the United States, though Google is planning to expand access to other regions in the future.
Popular video-sharing platform YouTube has announced it’s cracking down on content that relates to eating disorders. As part of this, the site will prohibit content that features behaviours such as purging after eating or extreme calorie counting.
Although YouTube has always removed content that encourages or glorifies eating disorders, this new addition to the Community Guidelines is an effort to prevent “in-risk” viewers from imitating harmful content uploaded to the site.
The videos that feature harmful content related to eating disorders will not be fully removed from the platform but will require users to log into YouTube, and only those who are 18 years of age or older can access the videos. The policy changes were created in consultation with the National Eating Disorder Association as well as other non-profit organizations.
The new policy changes come in the wake of backlash towards platforms like YouTube and Instagram from certain lawmakers. In 2021, the site was called out for promoting accounts featuring content depicting extreme weight loss and dieting to young users.
This isn’t the first time YouTube has updated its policies to address specific issues, with the platform recently rolling out several updates for how it handles medical topics such as vaccines and abortions.
In addition to flagging videos, YouTube will add panels with information on crisis resources under eating disorder-related content in nine countries with more to come.
To better educate creators, if an account’s video goes against the new policy, YouTube will provide resources on how to create less harmful content.
The video-sharing company plans to roll out the new changes globally in the coming weeks and will use both automated and human moderators to analyze videos on the platform.
YouTube is introducing an enhanced 1080p HD video quality option for its Premium subscribers, alongside other features.
The feature is currently only available on iOS but is being rolled out on the web soon. The new 1080p premium option is described as “an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p” with the ability to make videos with lots of detail and motion appear crisper, according to YouTube.
The video-sharing platform had been testing this feature as of February of 2023 which initially stirred up panic among nonsubscribers who thought YouTube would remove the existing 1080p option. Thankfully, YouTube has confirmed the standard 1080p choice will remain active for all users.
Despite the news, not all videos will have the 1080p premium option, with YouTube saying videos uploaded at higher or lower resolutions than 1080p, live streams and Shorts won’t be compatible.
If a bump in video quality wasn’t enough, YouTube announced additional features coming to Premium members. One of which is the ability for iOS users to watch videos with friends and family members using FaceTime via SharePlay.
YouTube Premium members will also be able to pick up where they left off on videos across mobile devices and the desktop site, a useful feature for those who don’t want to waste time fast-forwarding after a device switch.
Further, members gain access to an updated queuing system allowing users on phones or tablets to create lists of videos for them to watch next.
With all of these perks and more, it’s not surprising that around 30 million users made the jump to YouTube Premium in 2022 alone. Now, with an option for even better video quality being introduced, the company is making a serious case for those who haven’t made the switch yet to pull the trigger.
Popular YouTube channel Lofi Girl has been teasing something for a few days, and in the last few hours, the channel has stepped into some mysterious storytelling.
Starting on April 4th, Lofi Girl tweeted, “I still haven’t figured out what my cat has been staring at this whole time…” and followed it up the next day with a tweet mentioning the random blue window in the backdrop of the channel’s main video.
A few days later, on April 7th, the blue window started flashing. It didn’t take fans long to crack the Morse code of the flashes and discover a URL to lofiworld.com.
This website only has one button that takes you to a new video on the Lofi Girl YouTube channel bathed in soft blue light. There’s also a calendar with April 11th circled and a large countdown timer.
Rumours are swirling about what might happen on the 11th at noon (12 pm ET/9 am PT), but the ‘Lofi World’ moniker has me thinking that a few new live streams will launch on the channel with new characters/rooms. Others predict a single new channel in the blue room with a gaming focus, likely due to the Nintendo GameCube in the bottom right of the illustration.
Other ideas are being tossed around on Twitter, with popular theories being a Lofi Girl app that will help make the music portable, or a game created in line with the channel’s lofi/study/chill vibes.
On the Discord server, eager fans are rampant with new ideas and discussions ranging from a new merch line to a place online where people can chat and study together.
You can visit the original live stream if you want to watch the iconic moment when Lofi Girl (and her cat) disappear. However, it’s unclear if it will go down when the timer ends. We can’t give a direct timestamp since it depends on when you enter the stream.
This isn’t the first time Lofi Girl has had channels change, at least on purpose. In 2017 the channel was taken down for using an animation from the film Whisper of the Heart. It came back online with the custom animation that we know today months later. In 2020 YouTube took down the channel over mistaken copyright issues but reinstated it a day later.
This time there’s more purpose to the disappearance, and until it’s solved, you can find me listening to lofi Animal Crossing sounds instead.
YouTube ads are intrusive and annoying though tolerable in many cases. However, a rising issue is affecting YouTube’s five-second countdown that typically plays prior to throwing to an ad. Thankfully, the company is actively looking into the problem.
YouTube users have been experiencing an odd occurrence where a video will suddenly cut to an ad without warning. Traditionally, YouTube will display a small five-second countdown in the bottom right corner of the screen before throwing to a midroll advertisement. This issue has been continuously affecting users across various platforms for weeks.
It appears as though the issue is most commonly found on TVs using the YouTube app. However, there have also been reported issues on web, mobile, and even consoles. Users have taken to Reddit as well as Twitter to discuss the issue at hand.
More feedback, the ad countdown seems to have been removed. We have a young baby and mute the ads as they are normally louder than the content, without the 5 second countdown this is difficult!
Although some firmly believe YouTube actively removed this feature, the company has been responding to complaints on Twitter. In one instance, the TeamYouTube account says, “We’re looking into the issue of the 5-second countdown for midroll ads not showing on videos. thx for your report!”
In another instance, the account asks that users send feedback to report an issue to YouTube. To do so, users must sign into their account, select their profile picture and hit ‘Send feedback’. This then prompts users to describe the issue and include any screenshots that may be useful.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be an solution that can solve the issue from the user’s end. This is a bug that YouTube has to address itself. Thankfully, the company is aware of the situation and is looking into it. However, there’s no current word on when a fix may be released.
Russia, Kazan May 28 2019: Tik Tok application icon on Apple iPhone X screen close-up. Tik Tok icon. tik tok application. Tiktok Social media network
TikTok may be looking at new ways of revamping its Creator Fund program.
According to The Information‘s sources, TikTok is working to develop a feature that enables users to set a price to access a video. For instance, a creator may soon be able to charge users $1 in order to watch a given video on their feed. This program aims to help creators generate extra cash from their videos.
All of this stems from users reporting lower payouts when compared to other platforms like YouTube. Last year, big-name creators such as Hank Green went on the record to state that TikTok’s Creator Fund pays out roughly $0.2 for 1,000 views. This has also been echoed by other creators like MrBeast and SuperSaf.
A TikTok representative recently spoke to Engadget, but the company did not outright confirm the news of paywalled content. However, it’s “committed” to engineering ways for the platform to be “valuable and rewarding” for its creators. TikTok may require creators to hit the 100,000 follower count to be eligible rather than the current 10,000 mark.
As of now, it appears as though TikTok is actively testing the new Creator Fund revamp in Brazil and France. While no roadmap is being provided, it’s safe to assume that a wider release could be on the horizon. Creators may be able to integrate paywalled content as soon as March.
TikTok has long been looking at new ways to cater to its creators. For instance, late last year, the ByteDance-owned company was discovered to be testing a horizontal full-screen video mode. To bridge the space between itself and YouTube, TikTok also incentivizes creators to upload videos as long as 10 minutes.
Smart phone with TIK TOK logo, which is a popular social network on the internet.
TikTok is testing a new YouTube-like horizontal full-screen mode.
Select users around the world have access to a “full screen” button on videos. Clicking the button launches the video horizontally.
This isn’t the first YouTube-like feature TikTok has tested. The social media platform now allows users to upload videos as long as 10 minutes, attracting YouTubers who have the freedom to post longer videos.
YouTube has also changed its platform, attracting creators who are used to TikTok’s original platform of short-form videos. The company added shorts, its version of short-form video, to its partner program in September.
YouTube is starting to roll out Twitch-like custom emotes, dubbed YouTube Emotes. These emotes can be used in the comment sections and during live chats. However, it’s worth noting that YouTube already allowed streamers to create their own reactions and emotes.
These emotes are focused on gaming, but YouTube indicates that more are coming.
Now, in YouTube’s emoji picker, you’ll see a list of YouTube Emotes below a channel’s own custom emotes. Also, like Twitch’s emotes, YouTube’s has specific names, so you can quickly type “:cat-orange-whistling:”
These gaming remotes were created by Abelle Hayford, Guy Field and Yujin Won.
If you’re an iPhone user and encountered YouTube crashing today while watching a video, it seems you aren’t alone.
In a recent Tweet, YouTube’s official @TeamYouTube account says that it’s aware of the issue and that it’s working on a fix that will be coming “soon.” It’s unclear if this is a server-side update or if YouTube plans to drop an updated app.
hi, we're aware that many of you using the YouTube app on iOS devices may be experiencing crashes
we're so sorry about this & have begun working on a fix! updates soon🔍
It’s unclear how widespread the problem is, but while trying to watch a recent video via YouTube with my iPhone 14 Pro, YouTube crashed twice. I assumed this was just a random issue, but according to YouTube’s recent tweet, it seems to be a widespread problem. I was able to open up YouTube and finish watching the video with no issues, however.
A spike in reports on Downdetector surrounding YouTube issues started today at 3pm ET/12pm PT but have slowly fallen since then.
Have you run into issues with YouTube’s iOS app? Let us know in the comments below.
Warsaw, Poland – 10.06.2020: Youtube app on the smartphone. Youtube videos and films. Video streaming. Surrounded by true wireless earbuds. Watching films with Galaxy Buds – TWS.
Originally, YouTube had only one zoom option, which would essentially ‘zoom to fill’ the video. Now, YouTube is adding ‘Pinch to zoom’ and ‘precise seeking’ to the platform starting today.
The feature, which is landing on the YouTube iOS and Android applications, will allow users to zoom in by 5.4x. YouTube didn’t explicitly say 5.4x, but the video on its blog post, the one below, displays only a 5.4x zoom.
Once zoomed in, the video will remain in this view to give you greater detail.
The feature was first tested as an experimental feature back in August and is now rolling out to all users.
Precise Seeking, on the other hand, will be available on desktop and mobiles and allow users to see thumbnails of the video content while they’re scrolling across. This will make it easier for users to find the exact moment in a video that they’re looking for. “Whether you’re on desktop or your mobile device, simply drag or swipe up while seeking to display a row of thumbnails in the video player and you’ll be able to make fine-tuned adjustments to get to the exact part in each video,” wrote YouTube.
YouTube says it has begun rolling out the updates to all users, though the complete rollout would conclude “over the next few weeks.”
The podcast feature is available through the Home tab by tapping on the Podcasts section at the top of the screen. Users can use the Explore feature to find popular podcasts based on categories, which include gaming, music, true crime, comedy, health and fitness, business and society and culture.
