YouTube gets more precise seeking, pinch-to-zoom, other design changes

Source: YouTube

YouTube is rolling out some new design changes you may find helpful. The app is getting precise seeking with a more usable frame-by-frame preview when you scroll, allowing you to find the exact part of the video you want to see. The app is also bringing its pinch-to-zoom feature from a test with YouTube Premium subscribers to all users, allowing you to zoom in on videos the same way you would with photos.

The app is also getting a new ambient mode that uses "dynamic colour sampling," so the app's background matches the video or playlist you're watching. This feature is coming to the web and mobile for those using a dark theme. The dark mode is getting darker so that "colours truly pop on your screen." And the "subscribe" is getting a makeover, too, with the like, share, and download buttons "formatted to minimize distractions." Video thumbnails now get rounded corners to match Google's Material You design changes.

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Facebook discontinues Watch app on Apple TV

Source: 9to5Mac

The Facebook Watch app on the Apple TV is no more. The company confirmed with 9to5Mac that it no longer supports the tvOS platform, even though, strangely enough, it gets a new logo, and the app still appears on the App Store. If you update to the latest app version, you'll no longer get access to it. Instead, you see a message saying the app "is no longer available." It'll mention that you can watch the videos on Facebook's site. However, since tvOS doesn't have a browser, you can only watch Facebook videos when you use AirPlay from another Apple device.

Android 11 might get rid of 4GB video recording cap

Since the Nexus 5, Google has implemented a 4GB video recording limit on its devices. At that time, it wasn't an issue with smartphones not capable of recording that much video anyway. But in the age of 4K—and soon 8K—video recording and with more capable hardware, Google might finally be ready to get rid of the cap. Code found in the Android Open Source Project suggests that the video recording limit might be taken out. XDA Developers theorize it could be removed as soon as Android 11 comes out, but its availability in the Open Source Project could even mean it could come out sooner. We're hoping for the latter.

Facebook is reportedly talking to streaming services for its camera-enabled TV streaming device

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It isn’t news that Facebook is still developing Portal video chat devices. It also isn’t news that Facebook is working on a camera-toting device that can double as a TV streaming device. What is news is that Facebook is reportedly trying to get big streaming services onboard. And that the device is expected to be announced this fall. According to The Information, Facebook supposedly approached Netflix, Disney, HBO, and Hulu about adding their subscription services to its hardware.

Disney+ isn’t going to launch until November 12^th in the US, but with a big company that owns tons of popular characters and franchises, it makes sense that Facebook would want to work with them. Netflix isn’t part of either of Facebook’s Portal products either. But now with something that serves as a streaming device, it might be more enticing for Netflix. An important question though is whether consumers will trust Facebook to put a camera in their living rooms and in front of a product they use a lot. That’s a question for another story. But we would like to see how this product turns out.

Source: The Verge