YouTube improves desktop interface for touchscreen users

YouTube has redesigned its video website to make it easier for touchscreen users to navigate. Icons, among others, have been made larger so that they are easier to touch with a finger.

The innovations are listed on a Google support page in which the March release notes are noted. One of the changes is that users who come to the YouTube website with a touchscreen will have a permanent menu icon under video thumbnails: previously, the mouse had to be hovered over this part of the interface for the icon to appear.

New gestures have also been added, such as swiping up to make the video player fullscreen, while a swipe in the opposite direction makes the video player smaller. Scrolling on a touchscreen should also be improved, and the buttons have been made larger to make them easier to operate.

In addition, YouTube has added a number of other improvements, such as more insight into the viewing history. Played videos can now be sorted by date. It is also now possible to move videos in order in a playlist. Finally, a number of bugs have been fixed.