The YouTube app has been ever present on the iPhone since the very first model, but, along with Google’s Maps app, it is destined to disappear when iOS 6 appears later this month.
Ahead of that, Google has launched its own YouTube app, now available as a free download on the App Store. It’s currently iPhone and iPod touch only, though a native iPad version is believed to be on the way.
Among the improvements are; better search, which offers suggestions while you type; the ability to share videos on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and by email; and a new channel guide, revealed with a swipe from the left edge of the screen.
There are also tens of thousands more videos available on the new app than there were on the original YouTube app, because this version can show pre-roll adverts. According to Google: ‘Thanks to mobile ad capabilities baked into its own app, YouTube will unlock tens of thousands of music videos from VEVO and others that were not viewable on the old app.’
Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone and the final version of iOS 6 tomorrow.
