YouTube may be developing a timer feature for its Android app, a feature that already exists in the YouTube Music app, according to a report. The feature was found during an APK teardown of a beta version of the YouTube app for Android. This development comes just days after the video streaming platform announced that it would soon allow users to add notes below videos, providing easy-to-understand context.
YouTube sleep timer
In a report, Android Authority, in collaboration with whistleblower AssembleDebug, shared details about the sleep timer feature. As the name suggests, it could be said that it would allow users to set a sleep timer, which would allow them to set the length of video playback before it automatically stops. The sleep timer feature was discovered during an APK teardown of the YouTube app for Android, version 19.25.33.
According to the discovered references of the feature, users can specify the hours and minutes until the video playback stops. It can also appear as a notification. One of the possible dialog options says “You can reset the timer or click done to continue watching.”
While YouTube is rumored to get the sleep timer feature in a future update, YouTube Music, the platform's music streaming app, already has it. However, it's not clear if YouTube's sleep timer would work along the same lines. It appears in now playing menu at the bottom. Once turned on, playback stops automatically after the specified time.
Altering ad blockers
According to a report, the video streaming platform is testing a new method to disrupt ad blockers: injecting ads on the server side. Ads are currently overlayed on top of the video player with specified timestamps, which ad blockers take advantage of. However, with this change, there is speculation that YouTube will merge the ads, making the video a continuous stream instead of two separate elements.
