What you need to know
- YouTube is reportedly starting two tests for Premium users in its Android app, and one of which is called “one-the-go.”
- This feature surfaces more convenient and friendly controls for users, placing its media buttons front and center (and large) if it detects you’re moving around.
- The other feature, auto-speed, will reportedly automatically quicken your videos to help “save you time,” while also keeping comprehension.
YouTube is reportedly kicking off a double experiment for Premium users this week, both focusing on two entirely different “issues.”
According to Android Authority, the YouTube app on Android is informing Premium users about two new tests: on-the-go and auto-speed. The report claims the former is all about users who are watching YouTube videos while “working or multitasking.” The app’s splash page says that on-the-go provides “listener-friendly controls” that will appear in one of two ways. First, the app will automatically detect motion through your phone’s sensors.
Android Central’s Take
I find the auto-speed test to be the most… curious. How does it decided when to automatically hurry my video along? I suppose, even at 2x speed, I can still gauge what’s going on and hear everything that’s happening. It sounds a bit jarring to sit and watch a video normally for a minute only to have it quicken out of nowhere.
YouTube says these controls will appear when the app detects that you’re walking or running for roughly a minute. If you’re listening to a video with your phone unlocked while moving, the app will ask if you’d like to activate on-the-go. These new controls are in a sub-menu of their own, which places the play/pause, skip buttons, and next video buttons front and center.
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The content’s timeline is way at the bottom, alongside options to save the content. The secondary option is “manual activation.” From the video’s settings, users can find the on-the-go option. The last experiment, auto-speed, is said to “automatically adjust playback speed throughout the video.” This one may require a little more of a hands-on approach, as YouTube says it can “save you time without sacrificing comprehension.”
Auto-speed is reportedly housed in the video’s playback settings menu.
Just a test
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The publication states that it located these two tests within the experimental page in the YouTube app. However, YouTube hasn’t posted these tests on its usual “features and experiments” page, as it typically does. Regardless, Premium may soon notice these two features appear for their videos as the week winds down.
Android Central’s Take
The “Previews” YouTube started testing in March felt like a combination of a Shorts-style clip and the muted auto-play you’d already find. On one hand, I can see this being useful for people who just want to see what’s going on (and hear), but maybe aren’t interested in watching at the moment. But, if you’ve subscribed to a channel, and you enjoy the content, you’re most likely going to tap to watch regardless of that preview’s existence.
One experiment that was posted on YouTube’s typical page is “Previews” for discovering videos. This test got started a couple of weeks ago, giving users an “entry” card on the app’s homepage. The card is said to provide “five to 10” previews for videos that the algorithm already thinks they’d enjoy. The previews will involve short, engaging moments from the content. Users can decide to continue watching from there or save it for later.
If you’re looking to “Reimagine” Shorts you find on YouTube, that’s not possible with Gemini and Veo. Find a scene, add your own reference materials, and let Veo take it away for high-quality eight-second clips.
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