As promised, Google has introduced a native YouTube app for iPhone. We had previously reported that Apple will be removing the dedicated YouTube app from iOS 6 which is due to be released in the near future. At the time, Google promised that a native iOS app was in the works. YouTube had previously been one of the built-in iOS apps since the original iPhone launch.
The app just appeared in the App Store as a free download:
The YouTube blog outlines some of the new features:
- Tens of thousands more videos: Watch official music videos like Taylor’s latest hit.
- New YouTube channel guide: Swipe your finger from the left edge of the screen to reveal a guide with your subscribed channels on YouTube, giving you instant access to everything from Alli Sports to YOMYOMF.
- Find awesome videos faster: Get to videos like “Gangnam Style” faster with new search tools that give suggestions while you type, and let you sort through videos or channels. Flip through related videos, comments and more info, all while watching a video.
- More ways to share with the people you love: Share that incredible video you found on YouTube on Google+, Facebook or text message in the app, as well as from Twitter and email.
The app does not yet natively support the iPad, but the NY Times reports that a native iPad app is in the works.
In order to provide mobile users with the "tens of thousands" of new videos, the app now supports display of ads with videos. Previously, these videos were unavailable on iOS due to the previous lack of support for ads.
For the first time in a native iOS experience, YouTube will show pre-roll adds ahead of its mobile videos. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that with more monetization comes more content. Thanks to mobile ad capabilities baked into its own app, YouTube will unlock tens of thousands of music videos from VEVO and others that were not viewable on the old app.
YouTube is now available as a free download. [App Store]
