Published: October 3, 2024
Photo by Muhammad Asyfaul via Unsplash
Could this new feature make YouTube TV more accessible?
By Movieguide® Contributor
YouTube revealed that it is testing a new feature for its TV service that would allow users to continue audio playback of content while away from streaming video.
While the ability to continue audio playback while away from the video has long been available to premium subscribers, this feature has only recently been tested for YouTube TV subscribers.
“I can confirm that we are running an experiment that allows YouTube TV playback to continue after the phone screen locks for Android and iOS mobile users,” Allison Toh, product communications manager for YouTube, said to The Verge. “If a viewer has the YouTube TV app on and then locks their phone, playback will continue. If users want to avoid background playback, they can pause the video before locking their phone.”
This feature, if fully implemented, would be useful for those hoping to listen to live TV events, such as the commentary of a football game, while using their phone for something else, such as GPS or directions.
The feature is currently available to select iOS and Android users and has no timeline for when, or even if, it will be fully rolled out.
The ability to continue audio feedback would be one of the many features recently introduced to the streaming platform in the last year. As YouTube has developed its streaming platform, it has created an experience that sets it apart from other streaming platforms through offerings like NFL Sunday Ticket or its multistream view, which allows users to watch multiple shows at once.
It is through these offerings that YouTube has emerged as a dominant player in the streaming wars, becoming the most watched platform on all of television, representing the 10.4% of all TV usage in July.
Movieguide® previously reported:
YouTube was the main
