YouTube Premium begins testing a feature worth paying for – Review Geek – News Block

YouTube is testing a new feature that will allow Premium subscribers to lock the screen and help prevent accidental touches and touches. We saw Netflix do something similar several years ago, and now it could finally come to YouTube, as long as you’re a paying subscriber.

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about changes or potential new features coming to YouTube. And while these range from playable games and different video quality options, the latter is all about improving usability.

I get frustrated when I accidentally pause a video or tap an ad, which wreaks havoc on my viewing experience. The company is apparently working on a fix, and select YouTube Premium users are seeing a new “Lock Screen” option in settings. While in full screen mode, this completely blocks YouTube from viewing, so you can’t touch or pause the video by accident.

By disabling touch input, users won’t accidentally pause, fast forward, or tap recommended video frames. However, it appears that this is only in the testing and experimentation stage, as not all YouTube Premium subscribers have access.

To check, play a video, tap the screen, go to settings, and find “Lock screen.” But then again, not everyone has it yet.

Considering that most users don’t pay for YouTube Premium, this could be one of several things Google is trying to get more people to pay a monthly fee. For those who don’t know, YouTube Premium costs $11.99 a month and allows you to watch YouTube videos or listen to music ad-free, allows background playback when your screen is off, and allows you to download videos for offline playback.

The company recently signed an exclusive agreement to offer NFL Sunday Ticket, and will want to provide a top-notch user experience. We’ve also heard that YouTube is looking at ways to ban ad-blockers, enhance 1080p streams with a new “1080p Premium” bitrate for paying customers, and more.

These changes improve the experience and might convince users to upgrade to Premium. If Google offers better streams and valuable features like screen locks, it might be enough to get people like you and me to sign up.

via android authority