YouTube Does A TikTok? Video Streaming Platform's Makeover Includes Pinching Screen To Zoom In And Out Among Other Features

Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL video streaming platform YouTube has rolled out a dynamic package of vibrant looks and features. 

What Happened: On Monday, YouTube unveiled a new look and several features, including greater playback options, an improved video scrubbing system and pinch-and-zoom functionality.

The Pinch-To-Zoom feature allows users to effortlessly zoom in and out so that they can consume content in greater detail. The video scrubbing feature, known as Precise Seeking, helps users navigate through a video and find the most relevant portions quickly.

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YouTube kept color as a key element of the latest makeover. The platform brought Ambient Mode to life, an approach that introduces a subtle lighting effect to enable app's background color to match the video.

YouTube has also updated dark themes to be even darker to ensure colors pop on users' web, mobile and Smart TV screens.  

YouTube watch pages are also getting a touch-up. The links in video descriptions will now change to buttons, and frequent actions such as Like, Share and Download will be formatted to minimize distractions.

The subscribe button with a new shape and contrast will stand out even without its highly-familiar red color. 

Why It's Important: With this makeover, YouTube is likely trying to draw more viewers to its platform and away from its competitors. The pinch-to-zoom feature, for example, is already present in TikTok, which is considered to be YouTube’s major competitor, says a report in Gizmodo.

Last month, YouTube announced new ways for its Shorts creators to make money. Launched in Sept. 2020, Shorts is YouTube’s answer to TikTok.

In 2021, TikTok, the market leader in short-form video, witnessed a 13% increase in daily active users year-over-year to reach about 48 million.

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