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Mobile Syrup

Pinch to zoom finally arrives on YouTube for mobile

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.”

Source: YouTube

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Picture-in-picture support for all iOS users not coming ‘in a matter of days’ [Update]

Update 04/11/2022 2:18pm ET: It turns out that @TeamYouTube‘s tweet was in reference to YouTube TV and not the standalone YouTube app. Picture-in-picture support for all iOS 15+ devices using the YouTube TV app is rolling out now. As for the YouTube app, picture-in-picture support is still limited to premium subscribers on Android.

Original story below:


All iPhone users running iOS 15 or later would soon be able to enjoy YouTube in picture-in-picture mode, according to a Tweet from @TeamYouTube. The feature will allow you to continue watching videos in a floating window while you use your device for other activities.

While picture-in-picture has been available as a feature on iOS and iPadOS since the launch of iOS 14, enabled in apps like Netflix, Disney + and Apple TV, the feature was never implemented on YouTube.

Back in June 2021, YouTube said that it will add the feature for all premium users, and that it has plans to enable the feature for all users in the future. Now, according to @TeamYouTube‘s tweet, the feature will be available to all iOS 15+ devices “in a matter of days.”

Picture-in-picture availability has been spotty for iOS users recently. Some resorted to using the service on their web browser, while others have enjoyed picture-in-picture on their Android devices since 2017. Knowing that the feature will soon be enabled for all iOS 15+ users is a sigh of relief for everyone who has been waiting for the feature to drop since last year.

This comes soon after YouTube revamped the full-screen viewing experience on its iOS and Android apps.

Source: @TeamYouTube