YouTube testing an easy way to watch videos at 2x speed

YouTube is testing a 2x speed mode for Premium subscribers. According to YouTube’s experiments page, long-pressing the player sets playback speed to 2x.

Mobile users can opt into the test by holding down anywhere on the screen until the top of the window says, “Playing at 2x speed.” It’s online too.

Since increasing playback speed requires four steps on Android and iOS devices, this will be a welcome change. Subscribers must tap the video, go to the control menu, select playback speed, and choose their speed.

This option may also benefit podcasts, which the company has prioritized recently. U.S. YouTube Music users got podcasts in April.

Premium subscribers can try two other features on YouTube’s experiments page, including “bigger previews,” which lets them enlarge the preview thumbnail when searching for a specific clip or moment in the video.

Test 2x speed and bigger preview features until August 13.

YouTube is also testing a screen-locking feature to prevent accidental interruptions. Test this feature until August 5. (It was supposed to expire July 30.)

The video-sharing platform also announced that it was testing “Stable Volume” on its mobile app to maintain video volume.

TechCrunch reported this month that another mobile app experiment—AI-generated quizzes—will help viewers learn more about a subject in an educational video.