YouTube unleashes dozens of helpful new features

Google has announced a torrent of new features for its popular video streaming platform. According to Google, YouTube will receive “three dozen new functions and design updates,” but not all of them are noteworthy. These are the most exciting new features coming to YouTube:

“Stable volume” offers better audio control on mobile devices. As of today, Google automatically activates “stable volume” in the settings to reduce annoying volume differences. If you don’t want this, you have to switch off this volume compensation manually.

You can now play a video (in full screen or portrait mode) at double speed if you press anywhere on the player (with the mouse pointer or your finger, depending on the device) and hold down to automatically increase the playback speed to double. Once you reach the part of the video you want, just let go. This feature will be available in the web browser, on tablets, and mobile devices.

Thanks to larger preview images, it should now be easier for you to find the part of a video you are looking for.

Accidentally tapped your finger on a video and disturbed it? To avoid that, Google is introducing the optional screen lock on phones and tablets. This allows you to lock your screen to avoid unwanted interruptions.

Google is merging the “Library/Media Library” tab and the account page into a new section called “You.” This is where you’ll find all your previously watched videos, playlists, downloads, and purchases, as well as your account-related settings and channel information. The new “You” tab is due to launch today and will be located in the web browser, mobile devices, and tablets where the “Library/Media Library” tab used to be. On our smartphone, however, “You” is not yet present, although we have installed the latest version of the YouTube app.

YouTube also gains the ability to recognize songs playing around you. Google integrates a function for this that is reminiscent of Shazam. You play, sing, or hum a melody and YouTube is supposed to recognize which song it is with the help of AI. Google wants to introduce this function in the next few weeks, initially on Android devices.

Google plans to introduce the innovations described above and many other new features gradually around the world in the coming weeks.

This article was translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.