On Android there is no shortage widgets of all kinds, God forbid … but they have recently been introduced two brand new which are not only pleasant to look at, but also very useful for those used to browsing YouTube content. Currently being launched, we were only able to view them on a few smartphones, but mainly on all Pixels updated to Android 12 or later and they may not be available immediately on other smartphones (our Samsungs don’t have them at the moment), but with a little patience in theory everyone will be able to enjoy them.
The two widgets are based on the recent Material You style, introduced by Google together with Android 12 with the aim of making the screens as elegant and “stylistically” clean as possible. In addition to the pleasantness of the design, the most important aspect is the usefulness and on this we can only spend positive words for what we have been able to see.
One of these it’s more minimal and offers direct YouTube search, which for many could prove useful since it greatly simplifies the search based, for example, on the use of the Google widget bar, which does not distinguish between web and other. The second widget is the most complete, since it offers nNot only the ability to search directly on YouTube, but also the direct link to some areas of the app such as the one relating to subscriptions, collections, the home and also the Shorts video content.
As usual, to check if we have them available and try to use them, the new widgets can be searched for from any home page on our smartphone, by clicking on an empty area for a few seconds. Once you enter the menu, just scroll to Youtube or start a search by terms.
And since we’ve also talked about a link to Shorts, Google recently announced that it will extend the use of licensed music up to 60 seconds where possible. Some will remain limited to 15 seconds and others to 30 seconds, depending on the type of audio content, but it’s still a huge upgrade in functionality. Youtube is focusing heavily on its Shorts video section and while following the moves of its main competitor, TikTok, it is rapidly becoming a player that should not be underestimated, especially now that creator revenue will grow together with advertising content.
