YouTube 5 app for Android brings in app-multitasking
I ignore video apps on my Android smartphone for the most part as I do not really like to watch videos on a small screen, or on mobile devices. It probably has more do to with me working on a desktop PC throughout the day so that the need to play videos on a mobile rarely arises.
That does not mean that I do not monitor what is going on in that space. Google pushed out an update for Android's native YouTube application that brings it to version 5.0.21. It is a rolled out update as always which means that it may take a while before you can get your hands on it. If you cannot or don't want to wait, get the updated file from Android Police but be careful about that.
The YouTube 5 app for Android features several major improvements over version 4.5.17, the version before. You may notice the new card based interface that appears to be the latest trend in mobile layout design.
The feature that really got me hooked is in-app multitasking. What this means is that you can drag and drop videos to the bottom right corner of the screen where they continue to play while you are browsing the app. It is alternatively possible to tap on the down arrow on the top left corner when a video is on the screen to move it to the lower right corner automatically.
That's a pretty cool feature as you can find more videos, respond to comments or use any of the other features the application has to offer while the video is playing. The rumored background audio feature on the other hand is not integrated and you still need other apps for that purpose.
Still, if you like to multitask on your device, then this app lets you do just that without any problems. The application features two additional improvements that are worth mentioning.
It is now possible to search playlists, something that you were not able to do in previous versions of the application. This may be a big improvement depending on your use of the playlist feature in the app.
The second is the slide-out navigation that you can display when you tap on the menu button at the top left corner of the screen (not visible when you are playing videos by the way).
Here you can access playlists, favorites, your playing history and also all of your subscriptions for fast access.
Verdict
If you use the YouTube app on Android, then it is very likely that you will appreciate the latest update to version 5 as it introduces several useful features and changes in the application. Some may criticize Google for making everything big and shiny which can hinder getting a quick overview of what is new and trendy though.
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My first impression of this update was that it’s amazingly fast compared to v4 – I was also impressed by the multitasking video window, very cool.
What I’d really like to see is Google fix the dreaded 301 views issue – I get this with every device I use be it my phone, tablet and even my TVs, though not often on my PC.
Interesting. It’s a lot slower on my phone than v4 was, all the slidey animations are noticeably jerky.
The multitasking window would be useful if it worked while you were looking at other apps, but it seems kinda pointless within YouTube itself. Just kept getting in the way, for me.
Great Post :) Thank you for Sharing..
The new update doesn’t crash anymore but the screen keeps going white after I watch a couple of videos. The sound comes through but not the video on my HTC wildfire s.
Please help!
I would appreciate if it was possible to minimize YouTube app or lock the phone while the video keeps playing. I use YouTube primarily for hunting for music and I don’t care about a cover for the song.
Hi. We are developers of multitasking app Floating Apps.
More about it: http://www.floatingapps.net/features/
Pls, try it. We will be glad for any kind of feedback from you.