YouTube is rolling out new features for users, but, for now, they’re only accessible to YouTube premium users. Among these new features are a special “jump ahead” button driven by AI and a feature that creates and saves YouTube Shorts playlists for offline watching.
Jump ahead button
YouTube started testing a new feature that allows users to fast-forward through videos in March. YouTube already has a similar feature called the “skip forward” option that, by double-clicking, users can advance 10 seconds.
However, the new “jump ahead” button is more advanced. By utilizing AI insights, it can identify the “best parts of a video,” improving viewers’ ability to quickly navigate to the most interesting parts. A YouTube blog post claims that this function also bases its predictions on viewership statistics. “YouTube’s AI technology is designed to enhance user experience by identifying key moments in videos,” the blog post stated.
Picture-in-picture for Shorts
YouTube’s short-form videos, YouTube Shorts, is also receiving a few improvements. On Android smartphones, Shorts can now be seen in a picture-in-picture window by Premium subscribers, allowing users to browse their preferred Shorts and carry on using other apps.
Smart downloads
“Smart downloads” is another new feature for Shorts, which allows users to view videos offline by having it automatically download a new batch of Shorts to their devices. This means that customers don’t need an internet connection to watch their favorite Shorts.
“YouTube Premium aims to offer seamless viewing experiences, even offline,” said Dave Wu, YouTube’s Product Manager.
Premium-only features
At the moment, only YouTube Premium users have access to all of these new features. While all users may eventually get access to these upgrades, paying subscribers receive them instantly. “YouTube Premium continues to innovate and provide value to its subscribers,” Wu added. “We believe these new features will significantly enhance the user experience.”