YouTube presents new feature for Premium accounts
YouTube is adding several new features for its Premium subscribers, including smart downloads and picture-in-picture support for Shorts videos.
The company had already allowed users to watch videos in the background and use the picture-in-picture feature for longer videos, so that they can continue browsing other apps while watching. Now, this feature is being expanded to Shorts, starting with Android users.
The company is also introducing a "Jump Ahead" button that appears when users double-tap to skip. Clicking on the button, YouTube will play the best parts of the video. The platform uses a combination of browsing data and machine learning to identify the most interesting parts. This feature is now available to all Android users in the US, and iOS support is planned for the next few weeks.
In addition, YouTube has added the ability to automatically download short videos for offline viewing based on a user's recent browsing history.
Another new feature is an AI-powered tool that allows users to ask questions about videos or request recommended content. This tool was initially tested by the company last year and has now been made available to all users.