Google Announces Feature Updates For Premium YouTube Users, Including IOS SharePlay Support

Google announced the addition of features for Premium YouTube users. (photo: Doc. Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Google announced the addition of features for YouTube Premium users on Monday 10 April. One of the most anticipated additions is the iOS SharePlay support, which follows a similar feature release from Google on Meet video calls.

The company said iOS SharePlay support would arrive "in the next few weeks" for Premium YouTube subscribers. Apple launched SharePlay in 2021 in response to the pandemic lockdown, allowing people to watch the media together via Apple's video calling service.

However, YouTube is late in joining because many other video streaming services, such as Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and many others, have been compatible with SharePlay for months, if not years. But Netflix is still the last backlasher. Assuming that YouTube SharePlay works like Google Meet Live Sharing, only people who prepare calls need to have a Google account that subscribes to YouTube Premium; other participants don't need to have that account.

Google has also added a YouTube video queue to mobile devices. Premium subscribers can now add new videos to watch next - as they have been on the web since 2019. The mobile version of the feature originally appeared at the end of last year in beta in the "Try new features" section of the Android app.

Another feature that will arrive "in the next few weeks" is better streaming 1080p for Premium YouTube subscribers on iOS. Google acknowledged the feature was being tested in February after a small group of users reported seeing the option. It uses higher bitrates (YouTube transmits more data per second), which should produce better images. During beta testing, Google claims standard 1080p streaming quality will not be affected, so it will not lower the video quality for users free to encourage subscriptions.

Premium subscribers on Android, iOS, and the web will also soon see a new feature that will allow them to easily continue watching YouTube videos from other devices. In addition, the new Smart Downloads feature on mobile devices will automatically add recommended videos to your library (when connected to WiFi) to watch offline. Of course, if you don't want to throw away storage, you can turn off the feature in the app settings menu.