All articles tagged with #video streaming
YouTube Premium Lite is a new subscription option that offers an ad-free viewing experience on YouTube for a fee, providing an alternative for users who want to avoid ads without subscribing to the full Premium service.
YouTube has rolled out a new UI for its Android TV app, featuring centered pause/resume controls and separated interface buttons, aiming to improve navigation and access to features like comments and channel info, with the update now available on various Android TV devices.
Apple is adding a major new feature to CarPlay with iOS 26, allowing users to wirelessly stream videos via AirPlay when the vehicle is parked, a feature that was quietly announced on Apple's developer website and not highlighted during WWDC 2025. This update enhances entertainment options in electric vehicles and other supported cars, with support from automakers expected to roll out gradually.
Apple's iOS 26 update introduces support for AirPlay video streaming on CarPlay, allowing users to watch videos on their car's display when parked, with restrictions to prevent driver distraction. The feature requires app developers to join Apple's MFi program and will be available in a future public beta, with a full release alongside iPhone 17 this fall.
Apple announced iOS 26 with numerous updates for CarPlay, including a new Liquid Glass design, enhanced messaging features, pinned conversations, compact call view, Live Activities, widgets, multi-touch maps, and the ability to stream videos while parked. These features aim to improve user experience and are expected to roll out in September, with some requiring automaker support.
Apple announced that iPhone users will soon be able to wirelessly stream videos to CarPlay screens in supported vehicles when parked, using AirPlay. This feature aims to enhance passenger entertainment, especially in electric vehicles, and will require automakers to support CarPlay with AirPlay video. The rollout may take time and could vary by country due to safety regulations.
YouTube Kids is undergoing a redesign to align more closely with the standard YouTube app, introducing a portrait mode for video browsing on iOS and Android. The update, which marks the first major change since 2017, features a new carousel for content filters and a bottom navigation bar for easier access to Home, Search, and Profile. The "Your Stuff" page will centralize downloaded and previously watched content, while parental controls remain easily accessible.
YouTube's latest tactic against ad blockers involves skipping to the end of videos and causing indefinite buffering, making the platform nearly unwatchable for users who use ad blockers. This move is part of a long-standing battle between YouTube and ad blocker developers, with users seeking alternatives like uBlock Origin and Brave browser to avoid ads. Despite frustrations, the lack of major video-sharing platform alternatives makes a significant boycott unlikely.
YouTube is intensifying its crackdown on adblockers by making videos unwatchable for users who employ them, urging users to either allow ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium. This has led to a frustrating viewing experience, with videos skipping to the end or buffering indefinitely. Users are seeking alternatives like different adblockers or browsers, but with YouTube's dominance in the video-sharing market, a significant boycott seems unlikely.
YouTube for Android TV has been displaying the "Ambient Display" screensaver more frequently, showing content recommendations when video content is paused or left inactive on the homepage, with the time for the screensaver to kick in being drastically reduced to as little as 3 minutes. This feature, visually similar to Chromecast's "Ambient Mode," lacks settings to configure or disable it within the YouTube app on Android TV and other platforms, prompting user feedback on the increased frequency of its appearance.
YouTube is testing a new AI feature that uses user data and AI to predict and skip to the best parts of videos, currently available to select YouTube Premium users in the US, aiming to enhance user experience and potentially drive more subscriptions to YouTube Premium.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory beamed a cat video 19 million miles using cutting-edge laser communication technology as a test, showcasing its potential for streaming ultra-high-definition video at record speed. This advancement could bring the solar system into sharper focus and potentially enable astronauts to video call from Mars in the future.
Amazon has released a full trailer for the live-action Fallout series coming to Prime Video, capturing the irreverent and violent tone of the game series. The trailer focuses on Lucy, a young woman emerging from a fallout bunker into post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, and features Walton Goggins as a mutated bounty hunter. The show will debut on April 11, one day earlier than previously announced, with the entire season dropping at once.
TikTok has launched a native app for Apple's Vision Pro headset, offering a familiar interface with vertically oriented video playback and additional features optimized for the headset's increased screen real estate. The app allows users to watch videos with real-world surroundings or in virtual locations, and it integrates with other apps on the headset. While Disney and other streaming services have shown support for the Vision Pro, YouTube is also planning to release an app for the headset, indicating a growing interest in augmented reality platforms.
Riot Games cancels plans for its unannounced Twitch competitor, the Riot Esports Network (REN), following a round of layoffs. The platform was intended to stream competitive rounds of Riot games like League of Legends and Valorant, but any plans for REN ended with the recent redundancies, which saw the company cut 530 staff. The cancellation was confirmed by Riot's president of esports, John Needham, and the platform had reached an internal testing phase at the time of its cancellation.