The YouTube player interface is changing on Android and iOS mobile apps. And as much to say it right away, it is excellent news. Google seems to have finally realized that its player displayed in landscape format on mobile does not allow you to enjoy a comfortable user experience.
Until now, certain essential functions of YouTube, such as the possibility of liking, of showing dissatisfaction or of consulting the comments of the video, were only accessible after performing several actions when the player was displayed in full screen. . To like, share or save a video, you had to display the player controls and deploy the video carousel displayed at the bottom of the screen to access it. During this time, the video playback continued, but was obscured by the menu display. As for the comments published under the video, it was imperative to return to portrait display to access the dedicated menu and open it, before being able to return to full screen.
Corrected ergonomic aberrations
Google finally corrected this aberration and radically changed the interface of its player. Now, when a video is displayed in full screen, likes, comments, the save button and the share button are accessible directly on the player control screen, at the bottom left. Every function is within reach. No need to swipe the carousel up, with the risk of closing YouTube and displaying the picture-in-picture video (for Premium subscribers), to like content.
You also no longer need to switch back to portrait view to view the comments, before reactivating full screen mode so that they are displayed in a side pane while the video continues to run. YouTube’s player now shows a dedicated button that you just have to press to make the video’s comments automatically open (and close) in that sidebar.
Other possible levers for improvement
This new interface for the YouTube player is a real step forward and may sign the arrival of other new features to come. Google can still, to some extent, improve the readership of its platform.
We would like, for example, that it be possible to share a video from a certain duration as from the web version. On mobile, manipulation is currently only possible with chaptered videos.
Google could also make the YouTube player more attractive, for example by displaying content information there. We think in particular of the identification of the songs and artists broadcast during the playback of the video, a function which could be very practical for discovering new artists (and why not listen to them then in YouTube Music).
YouTube could also enrich its player by integrating information about the people on the screen (in the case of film clips or trailers) as Amazon does in its player on Prime Video. The possibilities for improvement are numerous.
As it stands, Google still has quite a bit under its feet for the YouTube player to be close to perfection!