New features are ideal for podcasts and casual listening<\/p>\n
YouTube is a great platform for all sorts of videos, and while you can watch YouTube on your TV like someone from the 1950s, it’s much more common for me to use videos like podcasts, listening to them while working, doing chores, or walking the dog. And it’s people like me that these two new experimental features are aimed at.<\/p>\n
The first feature, Auto-speed, works exactly the way the name suggests it would. When switched on, Auto-speed will increase the speed of the video you’re watching when it detects that not much is going on, but will then slow back down when it detects speech, or anything else of interest.<\/p>\n
This will be of particular interest to anyone who uses YouTube like an audio podcast. Many videos have longer sections of primarily visual purpose, like pots being stirred during cooking videos. These are largely just annoyances when being listened to, and this feature helps to trim those sections down by fast-forwarding through them.<\/p>\n
YouTube does warn that this feature can only be used on specific English-language videos, though I couldn’t find a single video where it worked, so it’s possible this is a very limited feature for now.<\/p>\n
The second feature, On-The-Go controls, is much more straightforward. It takes the standard video controls and gives them a much larger section of the screen. It’s clear this is aimed towards a similar crowd as Auto-speed, as the video takes up much less of the screen, and clearly isn’t meant to be watched in a traditional way. <\/p>\n
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Both features can be found by Premium users by heading to Settings > Try experimental new features, and then toggling the two experiments on. <\/p>\n
Auto-speed can then be found in a compatible video through the speed controls. On-The-Go controls work a lot better, seemingly, as they can be found in most videos through the cogwheel settings icon on a video, followed by More > Premium controls. On-The-Go controls will also trigger a prompt when YouTube feels motion for more than 60 seconds while your phone is unlocked.<\/p>\n