YouTube Desktop Is Now More Touchscreen Friendly

Apr 28, 2020

The desktop version of YouTube has been updated to improve its performance on touchscreen devices. According to Google, it now supports better functionality for touchscreen input. Whether you’re planning to browse YouTube desktop on a touchscreen tablet or a hybrid computer, you’ll now be able to navigate it more easily.

Touchscreen Improvements Made to YouTube Desktop

The mobile version of YouTube has always been touchscreen friendly. After all, mobile devices typically rely on touchscreen input. There are different versions of YouTube, however, including a mobile and a desktop version. The desktop version previously suffered from a lack of touchscreen friendliness that made it difficult to use on touchscreen devices. After listening to users’ concerns, Google has updated YouTube desktop to improve its performance on touchscreen devices.

So, what touchscreen improvements did Google make to YouTube desktop? As explained in a recent help article, YouTube desktop will now show a three-dot menu below all video thumbnails. Touchscreen users, of course, can touch or tap this menu to expand the options for the respective video.

Previously, touchscreen users didn’t have the option to select the three-dot menu on YouTube desktop. The old design required users to hover a mouse cursor over the three-dot menu, which wasn’t possible with a touchscreen interface.

If you’re browsing the YouTube desktop site from a touch device (for e.g. using Safari on your iPad), you’ll now see a three dot menu option persistently showing under all video thumbnails. This wasn’t the case before as it took hovering a cursor over the video title,” explained Google when announcing the update.

In addition to the three-dot menu, YouTube desktop has changed the size of its icons to improve the experience for touchscreen users. The old design featured relatively small icons that were difficult for touchscreen users to select. Now, however, YouTube desktop features larger and more prominent icons.

YouTube desktop has also been updated with new touchscreen-friendly gesture commands. Users can swipe up on the miniplayer, for instance, to open the video, or they can swipe down on the miniplayer to close the video.

Most touchscreen users will probably access the mobile version of YouTube. Nonetheless, some prefer the desktop version. With the recent update, YouTube desktop is now easier and more convenient to use on a touchscreen device. It features a new three-dot menu, larger icons and new gesture commands, all of which provide a more positive experience for touchscreen users.

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