YouTube Music is testing song lyrics casting

Source: u/PmMeYourChromebook / Reddit

It might not be like the recently launched Apple Music Sing feature, but it looks like YouTube Music wants to at least catch up with Spotify. Reddit user u/PmMeYourChromebook spotted a test running on the music streaming service where scrolling lyrics are shown alongside the album art and track details on a compatible display. The Reddit user tested it on a Pixel 6 Pro and Chromecast Ultra.

The feature looks like it's optimized for larger screens as it shows a few lines of lyrics at a time, with the current line highlighted as the song goes. It's similar to Spotify, although that shows most of the lyrics it can as the track song continues. For songs with lyrics available, they will pop up as soon as it starts. The album art is relegated to the right side with the title and singer. Songwriters are credited near the end of the song. It's unclear when Google plans to bring this to YouTube, but we'll keep our eye out for it.

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YouTube Shorts will get a shopping feature

YouTube is looking for a new revenue stream, and it's turning to its TikTok-like feature, Shorts. The streaming giant is testing a new commission for creators on the site, where users can purchase products as they scroll through Shorts. This move comes amid decreasing ad spending and an economic downturn. YouTube rivals TikTok and Instagram have something similar in the e-commerce space. The new shopping features are expected to roll out in 2023, with creators getting a 45% cut of the revenue made from ads displayed between videos.

Viewers in Canada, the US, Brazil, Australia, and India will get the chance to interact with the product tags eligible creators add to their posts. YouTube plans to bring this to more markets in the future.

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YouTube gets a new Live Q&A feature

If you want to house AMAs (Ask Me Anythings) on YouTube, it's now easier to do that. The app lets its creators host dedicated question-and-answer sessions during live streams. This dedicated tool will make it easier to direct your live streams and help you respond easily to the questions you get.

When you start a Q&A, your prompt message will be pinned at the top of the stream's chat. Your viewers can submit questions and then when you find a question you want to discuss, you can pin that so it's easier for everyone to follow what you're answering. You can then pin the next question, and so on. When you're done, you can revert it to the standard chatroom.

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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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