YouTube for Android TV gets another UI change with a number of animated comments in the information pills section to help highlight and enhance interaction with videos while watching them on screens.
Unlike a mobile device or desktop computer, it is much more difficult to easily view information on a TV, as full-screen viewing is standard. Other recent changes to the YouTube player on TVs help you view comments, likes, view counts, and video details in a less intrusive way. These latest changes help direct people to the new UI by enticing them to click or tap.
The new layout has been rolling out for a few weeks and is designed to increase interaction from TV, but we’ve spotted another minor change to YouTube’s video news pill on Android TV and Google TV over the past 24 to 48 hours, which could further improve the interaction. always.
When you hover and highlight the video info pill, you get a short animation showing the name of the YouTube channel or uploader and the number of comments. After a second, it will display a “Learn more about this video” message, and the two messages will switch at regular intervals. When you watch videos in full screen, it has no effect on the content you view.
Previously, this section only displayed the title of the video and the channel that uploaded the content. By incorporating comment count metrics and adding an explicit “learn more” message, people could be more aware of the ability to see ongoing discussions related to a video on platforms like Android TV. The number of likes is only shown when you expand that section by clicking on your remote along with other details including the upload date and the full comments section.
We’re seeing the updated info pill on YouTube for Android TV v4.31.300, but given that it started showing up over the past few days, it’s likely part of a server-side rollout. Let us know if you notice this admittedly minor change in the comments section below.
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