YouTube mobile app gets new video resolution settings

YouTube is making changes to its Android and iOS app that are supposed to make it easier for users to select the resolution of their videos.

YouTube is replacing the option to individually select the streaming quality of the videos users are watching with generic options, which only mention how heavy on data the streaming will be similar to Amazon Prime streaming resolution selector, reports India Today, a weekly Indian magazine, on Sunday.

For example, instead of having the option to choose between 720p, 1080p, or 4K resolution, users are now given other options that are supposed to be more “friendly” for non-tech-savvy: higher picture quality (more data usage), data saver (lower picture quality).

The Advanced menu gives users the option to set the resolution of the video. But the changes you make only apply to the current video. But no worries, you can set default video quality for all videos by heading to the Settings > Video quality preferences menu.

Users can set defaults for both mobile networks and Wi-Fi.

However, you can't set a specific resolution as a default for all videos since the Advanced option isn't available under the Video quality preferences menu.

While most people who are used to the old settings are unlikely to find the new settings useful since they introduce an extra step to change the video resolution, YouTube wants to make data saving easier for those who don't understand the video resolutions.

The new settings are enabled through a server-side switch, so updating your app to the latest version is no guarantee you'll get the new options. But it shouldn't be too long before YouTube completes the rollout.