A new iOS app from YouTube seeks to focus on content and user experiences

With 25% of all traffic hitting YouTube via a mobile device, Google has introduced a update for its free iOS app, which has been optimized for the iPad and iPhone 5.

While Vimeo, which recently updated its own iOS app, attracts a more discerning audience and is a favourtite of creator-makers, more than 4 billion hours of video is watched on YouTube each month with 800 million monthly visits.

Channel subscriptions has doubled, says the company, and is expected to rise by 30% over the next year so managing those subscriptions is important part of its service.

So, the updated app features a new layout where its ‘crucial elements’ are more prominent, with the emphasis on video content.

The app itself  in general feels and looks slicker. With video now at the top of the page and the subscribe button, social actions, and video info below it. Users’ playlists are conveniently available on the right-hand side making it easier to navigate through other related content.

Its Guide feature, which now reaches across multiple devices, is designed to help users easily decide what to watch on YouTube at any time.

“Just subscribe to your favorite channels and the Guide lets you know when there are new videos waiting for you to enjoy, suggests the latest and greatest channels you might like, and shows you what your friends are sharing across the web. You’ll also find the Guide and your subscriptions on apps across hundreds of millions of devices including Android, iPhone, Playstation 3, Google TV and more,” says YouTube.

Another features that we like about the new YouTube app is that for those involved in the YouTube Creators programme, a resource to help users create better content by taking advantage of the service’s tools, there are at least three things to note about what the new design means: the Guide is everywhere and will promote channel activity to fans, the video now becomes center stage on the viewing page, and lastly, it’s now easier for fans to subscribe along with what it calls “enhanced channel recommendations”.

“With more videos coming to YouTube every minute, we’re always experimenting with ways to help people more easily find, watch and share the videos that matter most to them. As always, we’ll consider rolling changes out more broadly based on feedback on these experiments,” says the company in its official blog post.

• Additional info from: tnw.com

With 25% of all traffic hitting YouTube via a mobile device, Google has introduced a update for its free iOS app, which has been optimized for the iPad and iPhone...