YouTube for Web Apps

The web's largest video-sharing and broadcasting site

YouTube is a free multimedia and streaming app enabling its users to view videos and upload content. With its powerful performance and simple concept, it exploded into popularity since its launch in 2005. Google purchased it the following year—now, it is the best-regarded, most prevalent video platform among the many similar sites on the internet.

An optimized viewing experience

Although YouTube is a platform for video sharing, the most prominent use of YouTube is for watching videos. Thus, the app itself is optimized for a comfortable viewing experience. You can watch videos for free on YouTube by simply clicking on them from the main screen, and they will play instantly. Most content, including music, is free except for services like YouTube Premium and TV.

The video base consists of music, entertainment, education, sports events, and everything in between—you can find anything important or interesting there. If you’re a parent, you’ll enjoy the Kid’s YouTube version, allowing you to restrict the content to what you’d want your child to watch.

Further, it boasts an auto-rotating feature to match video orientation to your decided shape. Both directions come with benefits, too—the landscape mode allows you to watch without distractions and with a lot of detail, while the portrait lets you view comments and suggestions while listening to a video.

The video controls contain only the essential buttons not to confuse the viewers and allow them only the necessary features. You can pause a video, go back or visit the next one, and slide through the progress bar. The app generates recommendations based on your previous viewing and the current video to direct you further.

Once you enter portrait mode, the app allows you to scroll down while the video still plays. Do so, and you'll access extra information, user comments, and much more. You can also see the related playlists this way. The video keeps playing at the bottom of your screen even if you go back to the home page. That way, multitasking within the app is as smooth as it gets.

Social media features

Apart from the community section of this app, it now features options previously exclusive to various social networks. Most prominently, you can now post Stories native to Instagram and Snapchat to your channel. These short videos last up to 15 seconds and disappear after 24 hours.

Another useful thing for channels is the community section for posts. Now, they can post an image with a title to update their viewers on the progress of their content without having to upload a whole video just for that.

The advantages of this powerful app

Due to its versatility as a platform, YouTube offers many benefits to diverse users, including students, businesses, audiences, and the general public. It serves various purposes, making it an excellent platform for students to acquire knowledge and develop expertise. The platform provides easy access to educational videos and tutorials, enabling students to learn new skills and acquire knowledge. It is noteworthy that YouTube is the second most significant source of information, right after Google.

In addition, YouTube has proven to be a powerful branding tool for numerous businesses. Major corporations such as Apple, Amazon, Toyota, Samsung Electronics, and Microsoft, among others, have extensively utilized promotional videos. Considering the platform's vast user base, these videos have the potential to reach millions of potential customers. Hence, establishing a brand on this popular platform is an uncomplicated process.

Content creator's paradise

Making a name for yourself on YouTube involves high-quality videos and targeting your audience. However, the platform ensured that the beginning stages were as straightforward as possible. Opening a channel entails several simple steps, and connecting it to your Google account is even quicker. When it comes to adding videos, it doesn't take long and features no learning curve.

Once you get a follower base, you can make money on YouTube either by monetizing your videos or getting various third-party companies to sponsor you. In that way, this platform is excellent for creative people looking to make a profit by displaying their multiple skills. To make videos more visible, creators can add tags to videos and make them easier to find. On the other hand, they can make the content private and visible only with a permit. That way, video creators can choose whether everybody can see their video or only a few with a link to it.

Bugs and alternatives

The unreliable notification and subscription system is a significant concern for viewers and creators alike. Apart from not receiving announcements for new videos, you can't filter your subscriptions. The app keeps seeing improvements, which is, in essence, a good thing, but it means that users have to keep an eye out for the newest updates. Otherwise, your app won't function properly.

A ubiquitous website

With its massive content catalog and fast streaming, YouTube is the number one platform for your viewing experience. It is friendly for multitaskers and enables you to continue previous videos, making it convenient. However, there are certain drawbacks - chiefly, your subscribed channels don't send you notifications, and the smartphone version doesn't allow you to go back to the previous video you were watching, even in the latest versions. Still, if you enjoy video content, YouTube is the best choice out there.