YouTube

97 percent of YouTube traffic is now encrypted

According to a post published yesterday on the official YouTube Engineering and Developers Blog, 97 percent of YouTube's traffic is now encrypted since the Internet giant began rolling out encryption using HTTPS two years ago. Encrypted traffic increases your security by garbling the data as it travels from servers to your computer, and vice versa, in order to make these transmissions unreadable to rogue parties without an encryption key.

YouTube adding ability to live stream video to its mobile app

On Thursday, during its VidCon keynote address, YouTube announced that it's updating its mobile app with a brand new live streaming option. This will allow users to easily broadcast and watch live video from within the app with little friction.

The feature will initially be limited to top influencers like The Young Turks, AIB and Alex Wasabi, but it will roll out more widely soon. Once it's enabled, all you have to do is tap the big red capture button, select a thumbnail photo, and start rolling.

You can now watch Apple’s WWDC 2016 keynote on YouTube

It’s taken a while, but Apple has finally uploaded this year’s WWDC keynote to YouTube. The replay has been available as an embedded video on Apple’s website since yesterday, but obviously YouTube is a lot more device-friendly.

So for the folks who missed the keynote, or would just like to watch it again, things have just gotten much easier. You can now view it in its entirety in YouTube’s desktop or mobile web app, or via the native mobile YouTube app.

How to watch YouTube in VR mode on iPhone

Google Cardboard may be the simplest, most affordable way to experience virtual reality content on a smartphone, but up until recently Google's mobile YouTube app only supported Cardboard on Android.

Beginning with YouTube for iOS version 11.18, iPhone owners can watch YouTube in virtual reality mode on their device.

Here's how you can experience YouTube in VR mode on your iPhone.

How to enable YouTube’s upcoming Material Design face lift ahead of release

YouTube is getting Google's Material Design refresh pretty soon and it looks pretty neat. Aside from the Upload button being replaced by the upload arrow graphics consistently used across Google's mobile apps, you'll notice a Material Design-inspired search field in the center.

More importantly, YouTube's new looks include the background color on the Channel pages matching the header image, rounded icons in the sidebar, more whitespace around videos in the video player and a few other minor changes.

Chrome users can have an advance look at the upcoming refresh right now. Here's how you can enable Material Design on YouTube ahead of its release, in just a few clicks.

Tip: stop YouTube’s annoying video autoplay ‘Up Next’ feature within iOS app

My colleague Anthony recently vented his frustration with YouTube's default handling of the 'Up Next' feature on the web. Autoplay in YouTube is one of the banes of my existence, too, but as Anthony states in his write-up, YouTube for iOS lacks a switch to disable auto-play videos.

Not anymore, though: the latest version of Google's native YouTube client for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad includes an easily overlooked switch that lets you stop an endless stream of recommended videos from being spoon-fed down your throat with a single tap.

If you watch a lot of YouTube through your iPhone's cellular connection, you're wholeheartedly recommended to disable 'Up Next' on the iOS app, here's how.

YouTube planning to launch a live TV subscription service in 2017

Google has accelerated efforts to beat Apple to market with a live TV service on YouTube, dubbed “Unplugged”, Bloomberg reported yesterday. Work on boosting YouTube's infrastructure is already underway as launching the service has taken on a high priority.

For a yet-to-be-determined monthly fee, YouTube users will be able to subscribe to so-called skinny bundles of television programming, streamed over the Internet.

These bundles should include some of the most popular offerings from major U.S. broadcast networks and cable services.

YouTube’s revamped Home feed is smart, too, thanks to Google’s deep neural network algorithm

Google just said that YouTube's mobile apps for iOS and Android are gaining a revamped homepage design today. The newly redesigned Home feed within the mobile app has a clean look and a simple format “that invites you to discover and enjoy,” said Google.

More importantly, the overhauled Home feed now does a better job spotlighting content you might be interested in with smarter recommendations based on deep neural networks and larger high-resolution video thumbnails which make it easy to identify videos you want to watch.

Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ keynote hits YouTube

Apple held its 'Let us loop you in' media event on Monday to unveil the new four-inch iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple Watch bands and accessories and more. A replay of the live video broadcast has since been added to the Apple Special Events webpage and published as a downloadable podcasts on iTunes. And now, the entire presentation is available for streaming via Apple's YouTube channel.

Videos: hands-on with the iPhone SE

Although a good portion of Apple's customers have migrated over to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones, it's just too hard for some people to let go of the tried-and-true 4-inch handset because it fits in their hands so well. As a result of the demand, Apple has breathed new life into the 4-inch iPhone with the new iPhone SE that the company unveiled during Monday's 'Let us loop you in' event.

Because the iPhone SE won't be available for pre-order until Thursday, March 24th, no one actually has one yet. On the other hand, a few publications have already gone hands-on with the device on Apple's campus post-event, and we'll share some of the first reputable videos to hit the internet right here in this post.

Roundup: first impressions of Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad Pro

Apple announced its new 9.7-inch iPad Pro on Monday at the 'Let us loop you in' event, and although the tablet is already gaining a lot of hype for its on-par hardware and lower price from its bigger brother, you're still probably wondering just how powerful the little brother of the most powerful iPad ever made actually is.

In this post, we'll share some of the first reputable hands-on videos with Apple's new tablet to hit the internet since the announcement on Monday. With some insight, you'll have a clearer understanding of whether or not the smaller iPad Pro is the right one for you.

T-Mobile adds nine new Binge On providers, including YouTube

T-Mobile's outspoken CEO, John Legere, announced on Thursday via a press release that Binge On, the carrier's feature that zeroes out video streaming, has added support for nine new providers, including Google-owned YouTube.

These providers are now part of Binge On initiative: Baeble Music, Discovery GO, ESNE TV, FilmOn.TV, Fox Business, Google Play Movies, KlowdTV, Red Bull TV and YouTube.