To celebrate 10 years of Creator Weekly, I’m sharing tech highlights from 2015 that still resonate 10 years later. This update was for the week ending July 25, 2015.
The 2015 YouTube Mobile app
In July 2015,
YouTube launched a major mobile app update. New features included:
The basic navigation in today's YouTube mobile app isn't too different from the 2015 version. There
is still a Home tab with recommended videos. And you can easily access your
subscription feed (and get notified of new uploads by clicking that bell
icon).
But the biggest change was the launch of Shorts in 2020. Not only is there a dedicated Shorts video feed, but also a Shorts editor that lets you assemble multiple clips, green screen, stickers, and lots of other features.
And as there are more mobile-first creators, YouTube has also brought the option to manage your videos and see stats into the mobile app.
That brings us to 2025, with a new shift happening. TV has now surpassed mobile and is the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. (by watch time).
Ten years ago the YouTube mobile app got a major redesign, highlighting
subscriptions and with a basic video editor. This was great for the majority
of YouTube viewers who primarily used their phone and creators who could
upload and edit right on their recording device.
The 2015 YouTube Mobile App
The 2015 YouTube Mobile app
- Home tab with recommendations based on watch history.
- Subscriptions tab with videos in your subscriptions.
- Account tab with your playlists, video uploads, notifications and history.
Notably YouTube also introduced the subscription bell option, which lets
viewers opt in to notifications for all new uploads. Ring that bell!
All you need is your phone...
The YouTube mobile app also included a basic video editor.
- Trim your clip.
- Use a filter to add a tint.
- Add music.
This was also the first time you could watch full-screen vertical videos
“with a single tap”.
2015 seemed to be a tipping point for mobile use.
When the new app launched, half the views on YouTube were from mobile devices.
When the new app launched, half the views on YouTube were from mobile devices.
2015 also saw apps like Meerkat and Periscope bring live streaming to regular users' phones.
And mobile searches outpaced desktop searches for the first time, with Google pushing website owners to make their sites mobile friendly.
The view from 2025
Mobile live streaming was
announced in 2016
and
arrived for most creators in 2017.
But the biggest change was the launch of Shorts in 2020. Not only is there a dedicated Shorts video feed, but also a Shorts editor that lets you assemble multiple clips, green screen, stickers, and lots of other features.
And as there are more mobile-first creators, YouTube has also brought the option to manage your videos and see stats into the mobile app.
That brings us to 2025, with a new shift happening. TV has now surpassed mobile and is the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. (by watch time).
But that's a change in viewing, rather than creating. A decade from now we’ll
probably still use our phones for recording and editing videos, and TV can’t
replace that.
References
YouTube Creators Blog, 23 July 2015: Say hello to the redesigned YouTube mobile app.
YouTube Blog, 14 September 2020:
Building YouTube Shorts, a new way to watch & create on YouTube
Comments
Post a Comment
Spam and personal attacks are not allowed. Any comment may be removed at my own discretion ~ Peggy