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YouTube Premium is getting three new features designed to improve the platform’s podcast listening and discovery experiences.
The first is an “on-the-go mode” that removes all irrelevant items from your now-playing window, turning it into an audio-first interface. Below the playing video, you’ll only see enlarged playback controls and some additional options, much like on music-streaming apps.
You can exit the audio-first interface at any time to return to YouTube’s regular page with suggestions, comments, and like and dislike buttons. If you’re listening to the podcast with your phone screen locked, YouTube will pop up a notification asking whether you’d like to use on-the-go mode. If you allow it, you’ll see the controls appear on the lock screen.
The feature is rolling out to Android now and will arrive on iOS in the coming months.
The second new addition can be really helpful when you’re listening to a podcast where the speakers talk slowly or engage in information-dense discussions. Here, the Auto speed feature "intelligently adjusts playback speed” to deliver a streamlined experience, YouTube says.
If it works as intended, it could save you some time by speeding through irrelevant portions. Android users can enable Auto speed from the Settings panel at the top right of the video. The feature will be coming to iOS soon.
Ask Music is the third and final podcast-centric feature YouTube announced this week. It is already available on the YouTube Music app for Premium subscribers and allows them to request playlist and song suggestions using prompts. The feature now supports podcast suggestions.
You can ask for “podcast recommendations based on genres, your current mood, or shows you already love, and let Ask Music do the heavy lifting,” YouTube says.
If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, you don’t have to pay additional charges to unlock these features. It’s included in your plan, which now starts at $15.99 per month or $159.99 a year.
YouTube has had a busy week. The platform announced it will now be auto-detecting AI videos and making the AI labels on Shorts and long-form videos more prominent. It also introduced a new “Your custom feed” button that lets you use AI prompts to design a feed based on your interests.