YouTube Getting New Facelift: Pinch To Zoom, Ambient Mode And More Coming

The refreshed look features a more modern and immersive viewing experience while also improving how users watch videos, YouTube has announced.

YouTube links in video descriptions will change to buttons.

Google-owned YouTube is giving a brand new look to the YouTube app. The refreshed look features a more modern and immersive viewing experience while also improving how users watch videos, YouTube has announced. The Google-owned company is also bringing the much-awaited pinch-to-zoom feature for iOS and Android phones. 

“YouTube just celebrated its 17th birthday earlier this year and we wondered if it was time to give it a small makeover", the company wrote in the blog post.

"With pinch to zoom, you can now easily zoom in and out of a video while on your iOS or Android phone. And when you let go, the video stays zoomed in so you can enjoy the rest of the video in greater detail. Give your fingers a rest!," the company added.

In a bid to make the watch page easier for the eyes, YouTube links in video descriptions will change to buttons, and frequent actions such as like, share and download, will now be formatted to minimise distractions. Another change will be in the subscribe button which is also getting a touch-up: the new shape and high will contrast make it really stand out, and while it’s no longer red, it's easier to find and way more accessible to everyone on both watch pages and channel pages, according to the video streaming company.

"Colour was a key theme for us during the development phase. We wanted to add vibrancy to our apps without detracting from viewers’ habits, whether that’s enjoying their recommended videos or browsing for new content. After tinkering with several ideas, ambient mode came to life. And when the first design concept was met with 'overwhelmingly' positive reactions from users during testing, we knew we were onto something," the company added.

The new ambient mode introduces a subtle effect using dynamic colour sampling so that the app background colour adapts to match the video being played. The ambient mode will be available on YouTube web and mobile users in dark theme.