YouTube launches app for the iPhone and iPod touch

Everyone needs a pick-me-up to get their day started, especially on a Monday. Some play upbeat music as they get ready for the salt mines. Others sip on their morning coffee while muttering obscenities at the breakfast table, disgruntled that they had to leave the comfort of their beds and their loving bed companions. But you’re different. Nothing gets you ready for the long day ahead quite like having your daily dose of cat videos during your commute/drive to work. For you, Google just unveiled their official YouTube app for the iPhone and iPod touch for you get the full YouTube experience.

Previously, iOS users had a YouTube app developed by Apple and came preinstalled with every iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. While it did carry decent features for searching and viewing videos on these mobile devices, many argued that most of capabilities and the seamless experience from the desktop interface were missing.

Users even referred to these apps as dumbed down versions, opting to instead go on Safari and access m.youtube.com.

And then Apple dropped the app when they released iOS 6 last month, stating that their license to include the app had ended and that Google is developing an official app. Less than a month later, Google unveiled the YouTube app on the App Store, a day before Apple’s big mobile event.

“The new app is built by YouTube engineers, to give our iPhone and iPod touch users the best mobile experience.” said the head of YouTube mobile Andrey Doronichev.

Screenshots
Click on each for a closer look

The app has a solid interface that’s both clean and intuitive. Swiping your finger from left to right reveals a panel where you can access your account settings. From here you can also view a list of all the Channels you’re subscribed to and even add more. Video categories are also in this panel to make it easy to search.

Aside from this, searching for videos via the search tool is akin to the desktop version. Once you start typing on the text field, it will offer search suggestions for videos and channels.

“You’ve already shown us you love YouTube on mobile—to the tune of one billion mobile views a day—so we can’t wait to see what you think about this new experience.” Doronichev stated.

The new YouTube app for the iPhone and the iPod touch are now available for download at the App Store. A version for the iPad is currently still in the works but don’t worry, you cant expect to watch your feline videos on the tablet’s large screen  within the next few months.