Summary
- YouTube is updating its app layout to better utilize foldable screens.
- The upcoming layout may feature a two-column design in landscape mode.
- This update will reduce wasted space, making navigation easier.
In recent years, smartphone makers have made significant strides with foldable phones, but apps that fully utilize the larger inner screens remain rare. Even Google’s own apps, like YouTube, haven’t been properly optimized for foldable devices. Thankfully, YouTube appears to have taken the feedback on board, as an upcoming app update may reshuffle the layout to better take advantage of that extra screen space.
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In its current state, the YouTube app in landscape mode is far from optimized. You’re greeted with an awkward layout with a row of your subscribed channels at the top, the subscription feed below it, and overly large video thumbnails. The title and other details are displayed to the right of the video thumbnails, but the layout often fails to properly show the thumbnails, leaving a lot of wasted space.
App researcher AssembleDebug (via Android Authority) found in YouTube app version 19.50.36 that Google is testing major UI changes to better utilize screen space on foldables, tablets, and phones in landscape mode.
YouTube is finally ready to take full advantage of foldable displays
Upcoming vs current YouTube layout on foldables in landscape mode
The screenshots shared by the publication suggest that YouTube could switch to a two-column layout in landscape mode for better organization. According to the report, with this update, your subscribed channels may appear on the left, while the subscription feed will move to the right. This layout will allow thumbnails to be shown in full all while reducing wasted white space, making navigation and scrolling much easier.
For phones in landscape mode, YouTube may go a step further by showing two videos side by side instead of just one video and its thumbnail, further optimizing the space used. However, the publication speculates that this may vary depending on the device’s screen width.
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The update hasn’t started rolling out yet, but as is typical with YouTube, the company may already be testing it with a few users. Nonetheless, whenever it arrives, it’s good to see Google continuing to optimize its apps for foldables. The company also recently introduced a small design tweak to the app, making the bottom bar less boring.
