You Tube Tests its New Dark App.
It’s possibly appropriate that YouTube has decided to keep people in the dark when it comes to the introduction of a new Dark App for iOS but, in this age of social media, it’s hard to keep things quiet. And so, in the last few days, it has emerged that such a thing is now available for some privileged souls who are using version 13.0.1 of the YouTube mobile app.
Of course, it’s not total news that such a concept exists. Last spring, the company rolled out a major update of its desktop site, giving users a new look and faster underlying framework, plus the addition of a dark mode. But now it turns out the theme may also soon be heading to a mobile phone near you as well.
Just how many people have been granted this special privilege isn’t totally clear but what is known is that the updated app gives you the ability to activate a function called a dark mode or, ‘Dark Theme,’ via the Settings screen, just above the Restricted Mode setting, and it has been claimed, by at least one Redditor, that he's been able to force the Dark Theme to appear simply by closing the app and then relaunching it.
However, that method hasn’t worked for everyone else, so it may be that his relaunching of the app was just coincidence and he would have received the new theme anyway.
Others have reported that they weren’t offered the options via Settings but were, instead, invited to give it a try, by a pop-up message.
In the overall scheme of things, such an innovation might not sound like a big deal but a dark mode has been sought after for quite a while by a fair number of users.
It’s not just that it looks good - although, no doubt some people are influenced by such things - but, more importantly, it can be easier on the eyes than the standard theme, which is good news if you have to stare at your screen for protracted lengths of time. It can also make it easier to focus on the app’s contents, rather than its controls. Its lower light output may also make it good news for your battery as well. Bearing in mind that more than fifty percent of YouTube’s views now come from mobile devices, and users often spend more than an hour a day watching content, these traits can only be a good thing.
When YouTube’s desktop-based Dark Theme was first launched, the organisation wouldn’t confirm whether or not there were plans to make it available for other devices. Instead, the organisation claimed that, before making a decision on whether to roll it out more widely, it would track usage, to find out if it was proving popular. Clearly, at the moment, the company is simply dipping its toes in the water, with the app theme, but it does at least suggest that it sees potential in the idea.
Regardless, for now, at least, YouTube is staying tight-lipped on the subject and hasn’t responded to requests for further information.
It’s possibly appropriate that YouTube has decided to keep people in the dark when it comes to the introduction of a new Dark App for iOS but, in this age of social media, it’s hard to keep things quiet. And so, in the last few days, it has emerged that such a thing is now available for some privileged souls who are using version 13.0.1 of the YouTube mobile app.
Of course, it’s not total news that such a concept exists. Last spring, the company rolled out a major update of its desktop site, giving users a new look and faster underlying framework, plus the addition of a dark mode. But now it turns out the theme may also soon be heading to a mobile phone near you as well.
Just how many people have been granted this special privilege isn’t totally clear but what is known is that the updated app gives you the ability to activate a function called a dark mode or, ‘Dark Theme,’ via the Settings screen, just above the Restricted Mode setting, and it has been claimed, by at least one Redditor, that he's been able to force the Dark Theme to appear simply by closing the app and then relaunching it.
However, that method hasn’t worked for everyone else, so it may be that his relaunching of the app was just coincidence and he would have received the new theme anyway.
Others have reported that they weren’t offered the options via Settings but were, instead, invited to give it a try, by a pop-up message.
In the overall scheme of things, such an innovation might not sound like a big deal but a dark mode has been sought after for quite a while by a fair number of users.
It’s not just that it looks good - although, no doubt some people are influenced by such things - but, more importantly, it can be easier on the eyes than the standard theme, which is good news if you have to stare at your screen for protracted lengths of time. It can also make it easier to focus on the app’s contents, rather than its controls. Its lower light output may also make it good news for your battery as well. Bearing in mind that more than fifty percent of YouTube’s views now come from mobile devices, and users often spend more than an hour a day watching content, these traits can only be a good thing.
When YouTube’s desktop-based Dark Theme was first launched, the organisation wouldn’t confirm whether or not there were plans to make it available for other devices. Instead, the organisation claimed that, before making a decision on whether to roll it out more widely, it would track usage, to find out if it was proving popular. Clearly, at the moment, the company is simply dipping its toes in the water, with the app theme, but it does at least suggest that it sees potential in the idea.
Regardless, for now, at least, YouTube is staying tight-lipped on the subject and hasn’t responded to requests for further information.