YouTube is testing a new feature that lets users watch videos at twice the pace. According to YouTube’s experiments page, users can long-press the player to automatically set the playback speed to 2x.
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Users who choose to participate in the test on a mobile device can simply press down anywhere on the screen with their finger until a notice stating “Playing at 2x speed” displays at the top of the window. The function is also accessible online.
As it now takes four steps to increase playback speed, this will probably be a welcome change for Android and iOS device owners. Users must first tap the video in order to access the control panel, where they must select Playback Speed before picking their chosen option for speed.
However, this feature is accessible only to YouTube Premium subscribers.
This capability may also be advantageous for podcasts, which the platform has prioritised lately. Podcasts were made available to U.S. users of YouTube Music in April.
On YouTube’s experiments page, Premium users may also test out two additional features, including “bigger previews,” which enlarges the preview thumbnail when searching for a particular clip or section of the movie one is watching. There is still time to test out the larger preview and 2x speed features until August 13.
Previously, YouTube rolled out a feature that let users choose the best thumbnail for their videos. This new feature is called “Test & Compare.” Creators can upload up to three different thumbnails for a single video using this tool, and YouTube will test each one in secret to determine which one performs the best.
The feature is currently being tested, and only a small number of creators have access to it. However, according to reports, the platform intends to provide access to the beta version to thousands of more creators in the upcoming months. According to reports, this functionality will be released in the upcoming year.
However, amidst this, it was reported that users were using third-party ad-blockers that were affecting the functioning of the platform. To crack down on it, YouTube claimed in an interview with the Verge that it was doing “a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium.”
Also Read: YouTube plans to crack down on ad blockers with new plan
This came after it was reported that some viewers had seen a new pop-up notification warning that video playback would be halted if YouTube detected frequent use of ad blocking software. Android Authority previously reported on these experiments, which restrict users from watching more than three videos when an ad blocker is utilised.
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