what you need to know
- YouTube has confirmed it has started rolling out the multi-view feature on iOS devices, leaving Android users to wait “in the coming months.”
- The multi-view version of the YouTube TV app is very basic, only offering a predetermined set of options rather than letting users customize it.
- YouTube TV launched its “Custom Multi-View” feature on TVs in February, just in time for March Madness, as it supports NCAA basketball tournaments and NBA League Pass.
Users have started noticing multiple views appearing on the YouTube TV iOS app, leaving Android users helpless.
YouTube confirmed on Reddit that multi-view is now available (March 20) through version 8.11 of its TV app, 9to5Google reports. So far, the feature has only appeared on Apple’s iPhone and iPad. It appears that multi-view is accessed through the Home tab and is only available for a few “featured” games.
A user on Reddit stated that multiview is rolling out on mobile devices without its custom builder. Those who receive the update will only be able to choose from a few pre-determined four games. Another post on Reddit shows off what multi-view looks like on the iPhone, giving users a clear idea of what’s going on on Android.
Oddly, one user commented that they received a pop-up in the YouTube TV app on Android detailing the arrival of multi-view. Further digging suggests it’s not there, and we probably shouldn’t expect it just yet.
A member of the YouTube TV team said “We will be rolling out multi-view on Android in the coming months.”
YouTube TV’s “Build Multiview” feature first came to smart TVs in a limited way in late January. The feature is now officially available, just in time for March Madness. Users will receive initial support for NBA League Pass and NCAA basketball games. However, the feature is still quite limited as users can only select games that belong to a single genre.
If you’re watching the NBA, you’ll only find NBA games to customize your multiview. It’s disappointing that the advent of multiview on mobile devices lacks this customization feature, but it’s always possible that it could come in the future.
Other YouTube TV news involves the app selecting a “last channel” shortcut to make switching channels easier. To use the new switcher, users need to press and hold the “Select” or “OK” button on the remote. The app’s shortcuts are said to work with live TV, video on demand and DVR content.