what you need to know
- YouTube Music wants to showcase the latest updates from the artists you subscribe to.
- The app is rolling out a new activity feed that displays new singles and albums from subscribed artists.
- The feature is currently rolling out to Android and iOS users, but web users will have to wait.
YouTube Music for Android and iOS has introduced a new feed called Activity, which appears when users tap the notification ring icon in the Music app.
As 9to5Google points out, it was discovered in the YouTube Music app last month. However, it appears to be rolling out broadly to all app users on iOS and Android devices.
Currently, the YouTube Music app has a notification bell icon that can be viewed at the top when users are on the Home tab. This icon is typically used to push out app notifications like other apps. However, after the latest update rolls out, users will see a new Activity feed that says “Updates and other activity from artists you subscribe to will appear here.”
As 9to5 points out, the activity feed currently displays new singles and albums from artists a user subscribes to in reverse chronological order. As users use the feature more widely, we’ll likely see more features added, such as the ability to view new podcasts from the channels they’re subscribed to.
Additionally, the feed may be grouped by week or month, as it currently displays some artists’ work under the “This Week” section.
Under the new Activity feed, YouTube Music app users will also find a “Recommended for You” feed, where they can subscribe to their favorite artists that they haven’t subscribed to yet. As 9to5 points out, this feed is presumably based on their music listening history.
Artist activity is a familiar feature. Spotify and other music streaming services offer similar feeds that highlight music that artists like, specifically those they follow.
As for the rollout, as mentioned earlier, it’s currently available on the YouTube Music app, while you can’t see it on the YouTube Music web version yet.