TL;DR
- YouTube is testing out a new feature for YouTube Premium members.
- The feature is designed to help users avoid accidental taps.
- The feature is only available for Android and iOS.
How often have you watched a video on your phone only to unintentionally pause it because of an accidental tap? Well, YouTube is looking to help users avoid these accidental taps with a new feature it’s working on.
YouTube occasionally lets YouTube Premium users try out features that are in development. The latest of which appears to be a “Lock Screen” users can enable when watching videos in full-screen mode.
According to the company, the feature disables touch inputs while watching videos. This way, YouTube Premium users won’t have to worry about pausing, fast-forwarding, or disrupting the video in any other way.
To use the feature, you just have to tap on the gear icon located in the top left corner. There will be a Lock Screen option that the user can select.
Unfortunately, the feature is only available to select YouTube Premium subscribers who are on Android or iOS. YouTube is also giving users until July 30 to test out the feature for themselves. You can see if you got the invite by visiting the YouTube home page.
YouTube isn’t the first app to implement a lock screen feature. Back in 2020, Netflix also introduced a lock screen feature to its mobile app to prevent accidental touches.
A lock screen isn’t the only feature the company is currently working on. Just last week, YouTube confirmed that it is testing out a three-strikes policy for users who have ad blockers enabled. A spokesperson for YouTube told Android Authority that it was doing a small global experiment that urges users to allow ads on the platform. It’s also reportedly testing a gaming service called “Playables.”
