When Apple removed the YouTube app from iOS 6 beta, the future of YouTube on iOS was uncertain. The good news is that Google has just released a YouTube app for iOS, and it’s exactly as I predicted a couple weeks ago…
The new YouTube app is available for free in the App Store. It’s also ad supported, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Like I’ve said before, displaying advertisements on a video helps content creators such as myself expand our content.
When we make money from YouTube, it really helps us create better videos. We can buy new equipment and make sure everything you see is of the best possible quality. Everyone benefits from video advertisements, especially those who actively subscribe to channels and watch YouTube videos a lot.
One downside to this app is that it’s lacking the ability to respond to individual comments, and check your inbox. I’m hoping Google will fix these problems with a future update. I also didn’t notice a way to upload videos, but that’s not super important to me.
According to the App Store, the new app features:
- Tens of thousands more videos: Watch official music videos like Taylor’s latest hit.
- New YouTube channel guide: Swipe your finger from the left edge of the screen to reveal a guide with your subscribed channels on YouTube, giving you instant access to everything from Alli Sports to YOMYOMF.
- Find awesome videos faster: Get to videos like “Gangnam Style” faster with new search tools that give suggestions while you type, and let you sort through videos or channels. Flip through related videos, comments and more info, all while watching a video.
- More ways to share with the people you love: Share that incredible video you found on YouTube on Google+, Facebook or text message in the app, as well as from Twitter and email.
For the first time in a native iOS experience, YouTube will show pre-roll adds ahead of its mobile videos. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that with more monetization comes more content. Thanks to mobile ad capabilities baked into its own app, YouTube will unlock tens of thousands of music videos from VEVO and others that were not viewable on the old app.
I don’t consider pre-roll ads a bad thing, I think they are a necessary evil. Either way, you should do download the app right now! It’s available for free in the App Store.
Source: App Store
