YouTube takes baby steps to being a real podcast app
YouTube introduces new features for Premium subscribers to enhance podcast listening, including an audio-first 'on-the-go mode', auto speed adjustment, and AI podcast recommendations.
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Key points
- YouTube launches 'on-the-go mode' that converts video interface to audio-first for listening on the move.
- New auto speed feature adjusts playback speed dynamically based on content.
- Ask Music AI expands to podcast search, allowing chatbot-driven recommendations.
- Features roll out today to Android Premium users, coming later to iOS.
Why it matters
This matters because youTube launches 'on-the-go mode' that converts video interface to audio-first for listening on the move.
Technical impact
May affect embodied AI, robot deployment, sensor integration, and industrial applications.
New features coming to YouTube could make it better for listening to podcasts, rolling out to Premium subscribers starting today on Android and coming later to iOS. A new “on-the-go mode” shifts YouTube into an audio-first layout, with larger, simplified playback buttons, a still image in place of the video, and a timeline showing video chapters. YouTube says you can turn on this new mode in a video’s settings — a pop up will also appear if YouTube detects you’re moving around while watching a video. If you like to speed up your podcasts to get through episodes faster, YouTube’s new auto speed feature can help you automate that process. It automatically adjusts playback speed based on a video’s content and the minimum speed you set. During slower or less important moments of a video or podcast, it will quicken playback and return to your baseline speed afterward. YouTube is also expanding its Ask Music AI search feature to include podcasts. In the YouTube Music app, you can use chatbot prompts to ask for podcast recommendations based on genre, activity, or creator. Spotify similarly began offering podcast suggestions through chatbot prompts earlier this year.