YouTube TV on Android smartphones and tablets has leveled up, introducing a revamped miniplayer that mimics the picture-in-picture (PiP) design from the main YouTube app.
Previously, the miniplayer was docked to the bottom of the screen, with the program title displayed over a progress bar. The view was limited to a wide crop of the ongoing content, accompanied by play/pause controls on the right. Users could tap or swipe to return to fullscreen, an experience reminiscent of the earlier YouTube app or the current YT Music interface.
Now, YouTube TV boasts a floating PiP-style miniplayer within the app. The updated design features play/pause controls flanked by 15-second rewind and forward buttons, with a close option in the corner. A center button allows you to expand the player with ease.
A standout addition is the pinch-to-zoom functionality, enabling the player to stretch across the screen’s full width, offering a significantly larger and more practical viewing area compared to the narrow strip users had before. Despite this, the default player size remains compact.
This update, part of YouTube TV version 8.47.0 for Android, aligns the experience with the broader YouTube ecosystem. It’s a welcome change, making the miniplayer far more user-friendly for multitasking while browsing the app.
Meanwhile, YouTube seems to be reverting the recent miniplayer change on Android after heavy criticism, so it rremains to be seen how users will receive the new changes for the YouTube TV app.
Hillary Keverenge
2362 Posts
Tech has been my playground for over a decade. While the Android journey began early, it truly took flight with the revolutionary Lollipop update. Since then, it's been a parade of Android devices (with a sprinkle of iOS), culminating in a mostly happy marriage with Google's smart home ecosystem. Expect insightful articles and explorations of the ever-evolving world of Android and Google products coupled with occasional rants on the Nest smart home ecosystem.
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