Home » YouTube » YouTube Calls For A Rerun On Ambient Mode On Android

YouTube Calls For A Rerun On Ambient Mode On Android

Ambient mode on Android just got better or worse?

YouTube Ambient Mode is a UI feature on YouTube that nobody asked for, but the platform launched anyway. YouTube introduced Ambient mode on Android back in October to improve user experience while watching any video. The main aim was to give a more immersive viewing experience. However, for Android users, this update was close to nothing.

The ambient mode on Android was not very visible, and users couldn’t make out whether it was on or not. So, to move ahead from this controversial update, YouTube decided to amp up the ambient mode and make it more vibrant.

What Is YouTube Ambient Mode?

YouTube ambient mode is an update by the video-sharing platform to enhance the viewer experience and keep them hooked to watching more and more videos. This feature works in a way that when a user plays any video on YouTube, the background lights up and looks similar to the LED backlights setup for a TV. The backlighting or the vibrant effects change as per the color on the video screen.

This illuminating glow around the video player doesn’t make a huge difference; however, it is added to resonate the same feels of LED backlighting. Some users have regarded this as distracting and unnecessary, while others have noted experiencing little to no difference. If you own an iPhone, this update is pretty visible, and you can even turn it off. However, if you own an Android device, you could hardly make a difference! At least before the new update.

What Are The Updates On YouTube Ambient Mode On Android?

Ambient mode on Android has always been a topic of interest because, since the launch, many viewers have addressed the issue of not being able to differentiate whether this feature is enabled or disabled. The vibrancy factor for YouTube ambient mode for Android users was always negligible. So, to close these talks once and for all, YouTube has updated the ambient mode for Android devices and made it more vibrant.

ambient mode on Android
Ambient mode in portrait and landscape mode in Android.

Along with increasing its illuminating glow, YouTube has revamped other features. Like experimenting with ambient mode for fullscreen and making its video player rounded around the edges. When talking about ambient mode for fullscreen, it doesn’t seem to make a difference for loads of videos, as when videos are in fit-to-screen format, there is no space for ambient mode. However, if videos are cropped, then when in fullscreen mode, you can experience ambient mode.

Plenty of Android users find this mode distracting as the vibrancy and change of illuminating glow is not their preferred choice. In that you can turn this mode off in a few easy steps.

To Turn Off YouTube Ambient Mode On Android:

  1. Go to the watch page of your video.
  2. Tap on Settings.
  3. Now go to Additional settings.
  4. Toggle off Ambient mode.

Conclusion

The YouTube ambient mode on Android is tweaked to give users an immersive experience on their mobile devices. Since the ambient mode made no difference for Android users, YouTube’s call for increasing its vibrancy will only let the users experience this mode better. While many other UI revamping features launched by YouTube, this change made no difference for most users, Android or iPhone, as it doesn’t enhance the UI of the platform significantly. So, sadly, this update by YouTube is nothing that users asked for.