For a decade, the video player YouTubethe second most visited website in the world after Googlehas remained unchanged, with the exception of some minor cosmetic changes. But the company has announced that that is coming to an end and that this week Global rollout of new ‘cleaner and more immersive’ player begins.
‘This includes Updated controls and new icons to make the viewing experience more visually pleasing and hides less content’the company notes on its support page. The change is not unexpected, as YouTube began testing it with some users at the beginning of the year.
The new video player interface is designed to be less intrusive and will reach mobiles, web and televisions. A screenshot published by the platform shows how the new design incorporates rounded buttons with a slight translucent effectalthough not as pronounced as that of the Liquid Glass from Apple.
New controls and icons will also be seen. Likewise, the function of double tap fast forward on the side of the player will be more modern and less intrusive. Additionally, switching between tabs on mobile devices will be more fluid.
Regarding interaction with the content, the button animations I like In some videos they will reflect the theme of the video being played. For example, if you ‘Like’ a music video clip, the icon will change to an animated musical note. It will also be easier to save videos to the list See laterwith a more fluid and visual process.
Lastly, YouTube is introducing a more structured system for managing comments responses. This new threaded conversation mechanism will make it easier to see and focus on the responses within the original thread that are most interesting.
YouTube has explained that the platform ‘should feel as vibrant and dynamic as the creators and videos it hosts, which is why we are aligning the energy of our content with the look of our interface to make your experience more enjoyable and engaging’.
This renewal comes on the platform’s twentieth anniversary. Jawed Karimone of the co-founders with Steve Chen and Chad Hurleyall former employees of PayPaluploaded the first video in April 2005. me at the zoojust 18 seconds long, showed Karim visiting the San Diego Zoo. The following year, in October 2006, Google acquired the platform for $1.65 billion.