YouTube

With Google Stadia, cloud gaming is about to get a lot more interactive - especially on the streaming front. Users will be able to stream gameplay in the Stadia platform (in a web browser), and can use Crowd Play and State Share to invite viewers in to play, too. With Crowd Play, it's about joining in live, with State Share, it's about a challenge. All of this was announced with the promise that Stadia would work on desktop and mobile platforms alike.

Continue Reading

YouTube is most popular for being the world's biggest video streaming site but, ironically, many use it for listening to music more than watching videos. That is what prompted the service to launch YouTube Music, its "made-for-music" app dedicated to, well, music. Unlike with videos, though, rolling out a music streaming service in other countries can be a tricky thing. Fortunately, the wait finally ends for India, South Africa, and a handful of Latin American countries as both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium make their way to those markets.

Continue Reading

Just like its parent company, YouTube has taken no small amount of flack for how it surfaced videos that some consider to be fake news, inappropriate, or even downright trolling. Often, YouTube has hidden behind its automated but not always perfect algorithms almost as an excuse. It turns out, however, it might have a rather simple solution to at least some of those cases. It has silently labeled "Brie Larson" as news and, lo and behold, trolling videos have been buried by actual authoritative news on the actress.

Continue Reading

YouTube is once again on the hot seat after no small amount of advertisers pulling out over problems related to minors. Given the PR and monetary consequences of such lapses, the video hosting giant has had no choice but to take drastic action, some of which will probably inconvenience some YouTube creators. Of course, many will argue that such "fixes" wouldn't have been necessary had YouTube been doing its job properly in the first place.

Continue Reading

While all Android clock apps have a built-in selection of alarms, some prefer to personalize what they wake up to each day. Over time, however, you may become desensitized to that all too familiar sound. Fortunately, Google's Clock app for Android does over a pinch of spontaneity and randomness by letting you select a Spotify playlist or album. With the latest version 6.1 update, you can also do the same with Pandora and YouTube music as well.

Continue Reading

YouTube just can't get a break, which is probably nothing new for it. As the world's biggest Internet video service, YouTube carries a heavy burden in protecting its users, especially the wee ones. Sometimes it gets things right, like when it announced less harsh strikes on first-time offenders. Sometimes it gets things wrong, like when advertisers pull out over child abuse concerns. And sometimes it gets things terribly wrong, like when it lets in kids' videos that apparently have been altered to include instructions on how to harm themselves with deadly results.

Continue Reading

Ask any YouTube creator who has dealt with the platform's community guidelines strike system and they'll probably tell you that it's confusing and at least fairly inconsistent. Those are issues YouTube is looking to solve today by updating its community guidelines and overhauling how it hands out strikes. This includes consistent punishments for channels that break its rules, as well as a cushion for first-time offenders who may not have done anything with malicious intent.

Continue Reading

YouTube Music is finally getting support for Android Auto, joining Google Music and other audio apps already supported by the platform. With this addition, Android Auto users are able to directly access their YouTube Music content via the platform's interface using a couple taps. When launched, the YouTube Music inclusion offers recommended content, downloads, and more.

Continue Reading

If you're a YouTube Music subscriber who happens to have an arsenal of Sonos speakers, then today is a good day. Google and Sonos have flipped the switch on YouTube Music integration for the latter company's speakers, making it the latest on a long list of music services that play nice with Sonos' products. With this new functionality comes the ability to control YouTube Music from within the Sonos app as well.

Continue Reading

YouTube has made big changes to its recommendation system over the last year, refining which videos it suggests to users based on feedback it has received. The system works to offer a wider variety of suggested content, as well as cutting down on the amount of clickbait and misleading garbage that could show up. One problem has persisted, though: conspiracy theories.

Continue Reading

YouTube is finally expanding its livestreaming television service across the nation, making it available to just about everyone in the United States. This milestone expansion follows the service's relatively slow deployment in specific markets over the months since it launched. According to the company, YouTube TV can now be accessed by more than 98-percent of homes in the US.

Continue Reading

Today Android Q begins to spill, and all of its lovely insides - Android smartphone and tablet features - begin to leak all over the place. The next version of Android comes after Android Pie, and will likely be called something like Quiche or Queijadinha, or might just be the end of desserts as names altogether. Inside the first leaks of Android Q, one of the most key features appeared - finally, after long last. It's time - or might be time - for Android's Dark Mode.

Continue Reading