YouTube Starts Rolling Out News Pages and Other New Features

Google has started rolling out a couple of new features on YouTube, including a new way to follow news on the video platform. On mobile, a new watch page experience will allow users to follow big stories as they unfold in various formats. This multi-format news experience will only be available for specific topics, and users will be able to access it by tapping on videos displaying a newspaper icon on the home page or search results.

“The news watch page will pull together content from authoritative sources across video on demand, live streams, podcasts, and Shorts, allowing viewers to deep dive and explore multiple sources and angles. All on one watch page, people will be able to find relevant long-form video, live coverage, and Shorts to quickly catch up,” the YouTube team explained today.

Google is also encouraging media outlets to embrace its TikTok-style Shorts format with the Shorts Innovation Program for News. The company has currently partnered with over 20 organizations such as Univision in the U.S. and AFP in France to help them develop their news coverage with short-form content.

In addition to these updates for news viewers, Google has also started rolling out several new features that have been in testing over the past couple of months. Here are the new capabilities that will become available for all users in the coming weeks:

New You tab: Google has merged the Library tab and the account page into this new You tab that provides access to your videos and account settings all in one place.

Stable volume on mobile: This feature will be turned on by default to reduce big differences in volume in YouTube videos.

Lock screen on mobile: When this feature is enabled on phones and tablets, you’ll avoid unwanted playback interruptions caused by accidental taps.

Press to 2x: Users will be able to click/tap and hold down anywhere on the YouTube player to increase the playback speed to 2x.

Bigger preview thumbnails: When you start seeking a video, YouTube will show bigger preview thumbnails to help you find the most interesting moments.

Search by voice or song: Coming soon to Android users, this AI-powered feature will be able to find songs by singing, humming, or playing them.

New Details page on TVs: The YouTube app on TVs will now show a vertical Details page on videos that makes descriptions, comments, and chapters easier to browse.

“All of the features were shaped by the feedback we received from our viewers and creators, and are part of our ongoing commitment to make YouTube better for our users,” the YouTube team said today.