The new updates include a redesigned VR app homepage as well as new parental controls for YouTube kids.

By Jean Michel Witteveen

YouTube has announced updates to enhance the overall experience of their platform to both creators and viewers alike. One of the biggest updates is the video chapters feature which was introduced last year with the ability to automatically add chapters to relevant videos.

A big addition rolling out is the TikTok-like YouTube Shorts which will be starting in the US in March. This feature has been in a testing phase in India and the beta will now begin in the US.

As people watched a variety of content in different formats and styles whilst in lockdown the past year due to Covid-19, YouTube saw distinct content viewing and creation patterns that have resulted in the changes they are now bringing to the public.

YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mahon said that the Google-owned platform wanted to meet the growing demands for video consumption by bringing in these new updates for 2021.

Other notable changes that are coming in to effect with these updates:

YouTube TV – 4K streaming package, offline viewing and unlimited concurrent streams at home.

YouTube Music – User-created playlists easily discoverable to others on the platform.

YouTube Kids – New parental controls, including the option for parents to add specific videos and channels from the main YouTube platform to the children’s viewing choices. Currently, the platform already has 35 Million viewers weekly across 80 countries.

All in all, it looks like a busy 2021 for YouTube with a host of exciting new features coming in to play.