Three Google apps already support Android 13’s revamped media controls, and the fourth is expected to be YouTube within the next few weeks.
YouTube for Android version 17.32.32 is currently in beta and targets API 33. Most people will notice the updated player when streaming videos, while it’s also important for YouTube Premium subscribers that use background playback (audio only).
Compared to YouTube Music, Google Podcasts, and even Chrome, the change is more minimal for the main YouTube app. There’s the rounded square circular pause/play button, of course, while the progress bar spans almost the entire width of your screen.
The other available button is “next” (although “back” appears in a playlist) to the right of the scrubber, while YouTube has removed the “x” to close a notification or quickly end a Cast session . This particular loss is somewhat unfortunate as the swipe simply removes the notification rather than ending what’s playing. Finally, given the larger position of the play/pause button, you see the title of the video a little less.
YouTube 17.32.32 with this modernized control UI is currently in beta, but is expected to arrive in the stable channel (currently 17.30.x) over the next few weeks for all Android 13 users. Major streaming apps like Spotify (or smaller ones like Pocket Casts) haven’t been updated yet, but there’s still some time before the mainstream launch on Pixel phones.
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