While widgets were introduced in iOS 14 and iPadOS 15, apps like YouTube are lagging behind their rollout, but a recent update finally fixed the issue.
Google has released an update that allows you to use two widgets – one to open the YouTube search bar, the other to go directly to your subscribed channels and more.
The bigger widget is something I’ve wanted to see on YouTube since the widgets came out on iOS in 2020, especially since it’s an app I use every day on my iPhone and more on my iPad.
Thanks to this update, getting to my content at lunchtime has now become faster and easier to achieve.
Limiting presses
I subscribe to several YouTube channels whether or not it is channel with a certain series (opens in a new tab) or build channel (opens in a new tab) watch me eat dinner. However, I always had to find the YouTube app on the home screen, go to the Subscriptions section, and then watch the video.
I’ve always viewed widgets as shortcuts – a way to more easily reach parts of the app with two or fewer clicks, and I’ve always found YouTube to be perfect for that. However, Google has always been slower than others to keep up with new iOS features – after all, it has its own mobile operating system for updates and maintenance.
However, when a company releases updates based on new features, it usually hits shortcuts like lock screen widgets, which were introduced in September.
The same is true here – putting a bigger widget on the home screen of my iPhone and iPad makes the lunch tradition a lot easier now – all I would like to see right now is a lock screen widget that does the same but as it says it (almost) goes, good gadgets come to those who are waiting.