Take it or leave it, almost every smartphone user uses YouTube. It is the number video platform for making research, watching entertainment videos, watching live stream events and so on. Even before the YouTube app came out, most people still used the main YouTube website to access the platform.
Ever since the YouTube app came out, many users have shifted their focus from the main website to the App. Due to this, YouTube engineers are always at work to make sure the app provides the best user experience at all times. This is why YouTube frequently release updates to fix bugs and add new features.
Talking of features, there is a particular feature that most YouTube app users have always needed for sometime now. That is the YouTube Widget.
Widgets have gradually become part of our everyday smartphone usages. There are times when you wish you could do something real quick without necessarily having to open the full app. This what Widgets can do. Widgets give you easy access to the most useful part of an app so that you can easily access it with just one tap.
This is what YouTube is currently focusing on for iOS and iPadOS users. YouTube has recently released 2 different homescreen Widgets for iPhone and iPad devices.
The Quick Actions YouTube Widget
The first Widget which is called the ‘Quick Actions Widget’ which measures 4×2. It seems to be the one most users will get used to. It has your normal YouTube Search area where you can quickly search for anything you want on YouTube. There is another microphone button on the right of the search bar. It is a microphone button which allows you to do voice input search on YouTube.
Gizchina News of the week
Beneath, we have three other buttons. The first one is the home button. Tapping on it will take you to the YouTube home screen just like the main YouTube app does.
The second button works as a shortcut button for YouTube Shorts. When you tap it, it will lead you to the YouTube Shorts page. You can enjoy only short videos on YouTube without any interference.
The last button on the extreme right is the Subscriptions button. In case you feel like watching videos only from the channels that you have subscribed to. This is the fastest and the most convenient way to do it.
The Search YouTube Widget
The second widget happens to be smaller as compared to the first one. This widget is called the ‘Search Widget’. It has a measurement of 2×2. It will be very convenient for users who use YouTube mainly for searching content. So, if you are the kind of user who open the YouTube app mainly to search for a particular content, this is for you.
This particular widget does not also fill up a lot of space on your homescreen due to its minimal design.
Both apps have the white background and the dark mode feature. But it picks this feature based on the theme you are using. If you are using a dark mode theme, it gives you a dark background. If you are using a white background, you get the same white background from the app.
How To Activate The YouTube Widget
First of all, the new feature came as an update. So you may have to update your YouTube app first before you can use the YouTube Widget. After updating the app, open the app and then close it again. You then look for an empty space on your homescreen. Tap and hold on the empty space for a few seconds. The widget picker feature will pop up on the top left corner of your phone. You should find the YouTube Widgets amongst the widgets.
Source / Via: 9to5google.com
YouTube Creators Gain More Control with New Pause Comments Feature