YouTube is getting 2 big upgrades to make your life easier — what you need to know

YouTube logo on an iPhone screen
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

YouTube may be getting a pair of new features that could be serious upgrades, especially for those who use the popular video streaming app regularly.

First up, YouTube Premium subscribers are getting early access to yet another feature — 2x playback speed. According to YouTube, this feature will allow Premium users to watch videos at twice the normal speed just by long pressing anywhere on the video player while a video is playing. Do that, and the playback speed will automatically increase by 100%. You’ll know you’ve successfully executed the experimental gesture when a “Playing at 2x speed” message pops up at the top of the video. 

YouTube 2x playback

(Image credit: YouTube)

While the term “long press” is explicitly used, the feature also works on web browsers with a long click, in addition to the YouTube app on Android and iOS. But, unfortunately for web users, 9to5Google found that while videos will keep playing once you lift your finger on Android and iOS, they automatically pause on the web when you lift your finger off your mouse or trackpad.

This feature will be available until August 13 for now and is exclusively for YouTube Premium members. It joins bigger thumbnail previews while seeking — also available until August 13 — and a new screen locking feature to avoid accidental taps. The latter is limited to Android and iOS devices only and will disappear on August 5. 

YouTube might secretly be fixing my biggest pet peeve

The other upgrade from YouTube isn’t official — yet. According to Redditor u/OwenTheHugger (h/t TechCrunch), YouTube may be quietly rolling out a Stable Volume feature for at least some videos. Twitter user M. Brandon Lee also reported spotting the feature in the wild. 

YouTube Stable Volume feature

(Image credit: OwenTheHugger/Reddit)

It’s unclear exactly what this feature will do, and I was unable to find it on my Android YouTube app. But the general consensus is that it will even out the volume between videos or parts of videos, making it so you’re not having to change the volume constantly due to spikes or drops in decibels. 

If that’s the case, that’s a huge win for people like me that listen to podcasts or similar dialogue-heavy content. Nothing is more frustrating than going from one show to another and having them produced at totally different levels. Ditto for a super loud commercial dropped right in the middle of a more mild-mannered segment. So hopefully this feature goes a long way to making those moments a thing of the past.

More from Tom's Guide

TOPICS
Malcolm McMillan
Streaming Editor

Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.

Read more
YouTube logo on smart TV with remote control
YouTube's next big upgrade is right around the corner — here's what we just learned
YouTube TV logo on a phone
YouTube TV upgrades just teased for millions — here's what's coming
YouTube logo on smart TV with remote control
YouTube reportedly working on massive upgrade to fight Netflix and Amazon
YouTube Premium logo on a phone in front of YouTube on a browser
YouTube Premium Lite vs YouTube Premium: What's the difference?
YouTube app icon on iPhone with finger
YouTube’s cheaper ad-free version could launch imminently in America
Youtube TV app on Apple TV home screen
YouTube TV just gave users a huge 4K upgrade — here's what you need to know
Latest in Streaming
Gerard Butler as Detective Nick "Big Nick" O'Brien in "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera"
Netflix top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now
Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, John Turturro and Britt Lower in Severance
Ben Stiller says 'Severance' season 3 coming 'as fast as possible'
Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams
Why I watch ‘Field of Dreams’ on baseball’s opening day every year
Michelle Buteau in Survival of the Thickest season 2
Netflix’s most underrated comedy ‘Survival of the Thickest’ is back — and I couldn’t be happier
Streaming services with a pile of cash
How to decide which streaming services to cancel
Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) as Invincible in his blue suit during a scene from "Invincible" season 3 on Prime Video.
'Invincible' season 4 release window just announced — here's when it's coming
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch virtual game card
Nintendo just announced 'Virtual Game Cards' ahead of Switch 2 launch
Gerard Butler as Detective Nick "Big Nick" O'Brien in "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera"
Netflix top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now
Graphic screen displaying malware detection warning
This dangerous new Windows malware hides from your antivirus while impersonating a popular PC brand
Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, John Turturro and Britt Lower in Severance
Ben Stiller says 'Severance' season 3 coming 'as fast as possible'
Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams
Why I watch ‘Field of Dreams’ on baseball’s opening day every year
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date just revealed by Best Buy — here's when you can get yours
  • jobijobi
    I really hope they add profiles for premium subscribers soon so my recommendations won’t get messed up by other people using the YouTube app on my TV.
    Reply
  • sycoreaper
    I'll pay for Premium the day that they either allow 3rd party apps (without the fear of getting banned) or natively integrate a "Skip Sponsor" button.

    The whole point of paying for Premium is to have a seamless ad-free experience. And when D-Bag channels like LTT constantly mention sponsors and merch, it's annoying. I'm picking on them but many other channels do it too.


    jobijobi said:
    I really hope they add profiles for premium subscribers soon so my recommendations won’t get messed up by other people using the YouTube app on my TV.
    They do but each person needs a Gmail/Google account. You add them as family in the Play Store.
    Reply