After months of testing new features, YouTube is finally ready to roll out updates to the public, but don’t worry, it’s none of the unwelcome stuff. The video-sharing platform has decided to roll out a darker theme as well as Ambient Mode and an overhaul for YouTube Music.
The dark theme has been updated to look even darker than before. It will now be “even darker, so the colors truly pop on your screen” on smartphones, TVs, and the web version. It currently looks dark grey, but will soon turn into a deep black similar to YouTube Music. This should benefit the battery life of devices with OLED screens.
The new Ambient Mode will help you get immersed in videos even more. It will tint your phone’s status bar as well as the strip that contains the video title, so everything can blend together around your video and minimize distractions. Ambient Mode will be available on the web as well as on smartphones once the dark theme is enabled.
The change is subtle but should improve the overall aesthetics of YouTube. Here is what it will look like.
Furthermore, you will finally be able to zoom in on videos by pinching into them. The update will start rolling out to Android and iOS soon, and it will only work in landscape mode (horizontal orientation). The seek bar that shows video progress is also about to get more precise. It will soon let you “drag or swipe up while seeking to display a row of thumbnails in the video player.”
A lot of the buttons will be placed inside compact pills soon and the subscribe button will have more contrast, so it stands out and is easier to find, even though it’s no longer red. YouTube links in descriptions will also turn into buttons.
The update has started rolling out around the globe, and it may take a few days before it reaches you. You can read more details on YouTube’s blog post.