Find out what changes have been made to the world's most popular video app. Learn how the changes to YouTube affect you.
Don’t be surprised if you visit the YouTube app on your Android phone and notice something different. Google is bringing another visual change to the site early this week, with rounded edges on video thumbnails also appearing on smartphones, unifying the design of this version of the platform with that of the web.
Unlike what happens on the YouTube website, the new format is applied to both the image displayed and the video itself, which also has rounded edges when viewed traditionally. However, in full screen mode, everything remains the same, with the image taking up the entire screen. Continue reading to find out more.
Design change
This change also affects other interface elements available on Android and other Google platforms. Rounded edges are one of the features of Material You, the operating system's visual identity that also applies to the address bar, search field and other features, and brings changes to the color and other aspects of the interface.
Slow process
As is customary with global updates, the new interface will appear gradually and will be available to all users in the coming days. So far, there is no indication that the new feature will arrive on the iPhone, but since it is a general unification, the idea is that sooner or later iOS users will also receive the change.
Goodbye to ad blockers
THE YouTube app has become increasingly aggressive in banning ad blockers. In recent weeks, ad blocker users have reported that the platform is now using the video player or the entire window to demand that the feature be disabled. The campaign to limit the use of ad blockers began in May, when the platform began informing users of the extension that video playback would stop if the feature was not disabled for the site.
Over time, YouTube tightened its grip even further. Eventually, the vigilance over blockers extended to the mobile app. A timer was added to convince users to turn off the feature.
In recent weeks, reports of users affected by warnings have become even more frequent on Reddit. Not only can the warnings now take up screen space like pop-ups, but they can also expand their display to the video player window, completely interrupting playback.
Suspension appears to be account related
According to 9to5Google, the YouTube suspension will be related to the account used. Ad blocker users noticed that when they were logged out, video playback returned to normal, even though the extension remained enabled. On the other hand, since they are not logged into their own account, they do not have a viewing history or personalized content recommendations. In other words, by using blockers in the app, the user may lose access to all of their personalized content on YouTube, such as playlists and others.
Currently, the only easy alternative to watch videos without ads is to subscribe to YouTube Premium. For those who don't know, the subscription price is R$24.90 for an individual monthly plan.
