Members of YouTube Premium are in for a treat what with a new update now enabling users to download videos at an enhanced resolution of 1080p. Previously, there used to be a cap on the max permissible download resolution at 720p.
This will enable viewers to enjoy the latest movies whenever they wish to and without the annoying ad breaks. Plus, with enhanced resolution, users can make the most of the pixel rich displays that have become the norm with new-age phones.
However, the above should also be worrisome one count, that of storage as downloading videos in higher resolutions will also mean eating up more storage. However, that should not be too big of an issue given that companies too have grown to be generous in offering more of native storage on even their entry-level phones, with more to be added via external storage mediums.
The change will apply to both the Android and iOS versions of the YouTube app though it could be sometime before it starts to show in phones in all regions. Google too isn’t making any noise about the above development but the change has been noticed on some Android and iOS devices already. That means the roll-out process has already started and users can check if there is any update available at the moment.
Meanwhile, in another YouTube related development, Google has introduced a new user interface where the autoplay function has gone for a slight change. So instead of the circular autoplay feature that currently occupies the middle of the screen together with the Play and Cancel button, there is now an icon of the video coming next that will let users have a better idea of the song in queue.
Plus, there are now large and prominent Cancel and Play Now button placed along the bottom while a cross mark is placed along the top right corner, obviously for closing the present display. The countdown timer showing the seconds left for the next song to autoplay is shown in the top left corner.
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The change no doubt will allow for more clarity to the video slated for playing next though it might not get to see the light of day in the US, or only for a short duration if at all it does. That again has to do with a new law – Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology (SMART) Act – that the US that is likely to put in force that aims to reduce social media addiction by forcing companies like Facebook, YouTube and all to have some sort of a limit to the virtually endless stream of media that is currently made available to viewers.
