YouTube is giving users more control over recommendations
If you’re sick of getting recommendations for Alex Jones rants while you’re catching up on the latest Kanye West music vid, YouTube has good news for you.
The streaming platform has announced multiple changes to its standard and premium services, with a view to making listening experiences more customisable.
Responding to criticism that its recommendation algorithm has helped to spread harmful content, YouTube is giving users more control over recommended videos.
An official blog post explains that the platform is giving users more control over what appears on their home pages and in ‘Up Next’ to “put you in the driver’s seat”.
The changes will be threefold;
- The ability to explore different topics and related videos on the YouTube Homepage and within Up Next. This feature can be found on the homepage when you scroll up, and on Up Next when browsing.
- A feature allowing for the removal of recommendations from channels users don’t want to watch. Simply select the menu next to a video and hit ‘Don’t recommend channel’.
- An explanation about why a video is being recommended. A small box will appear underneath the video with information of this nature (only available on iOS to start with)
YouTube Music has also changed the way users listen offline.
A new feature called Smart Downloads will allow up to 500 songs to be downloaded, expanding an already existing feature called Offline Mixtape.
Smart Downloads will download songs that users have clicked the “like” button on. Downloads will take place while the device is on Wi-Fi only, and happen overnight.
The feature brings YouTube Music into line with other streaming services with offline listening features including Spotify and Apple Music.
Check out some of the new features below:
