YouTube is currently to test a new feature that allows users to lock their screen to avoid accidentally tapping a button and disrupting the video.
“Lock Screen” disables touch input, so when users watch a video in full screen, they don’t have to worry about accidentally pausing, skipping, or selecting a suggested video. Users who have access to the test can tap the gear icon in the top left corner of the screen to enable the feature.
As reported by News about cord cutters, which first saw the new lock feature, it’s only available to select Premium subscribers on Android and iOS devices. YouTube is giving users until July 30 to try out the feature. Users can visit YouTube’s homepage to see if they’ve received an invite.
Image Credits: YouTube
YouTube’s new experiment is like a feature that Netflix launched in 2020. The Netflix mobile app introduced screen lock which allows subscribers to tap a lock icon at the bottom of the screen to disable buttons like play and pause, which helps prevent playback from stopping or accidentally turning on subtitles.
YouTube is currently running a few other tests, including a way to limit the use of ad blockers by warning users that the video player will be blocked after three videos unless the user disables the ad blocker. The company is also reportedly considering an online game offering that would allow users to play games through its YouTube website or app.
