YouTube tweaks Ambient Mode to be more vibrant on Android

Abner Li | Dec 21 2023 - 12:02 am PT

Introduced last year, Ambient Mode in YouTube for Android has been updated to be much more vibrant.

This change is particularly obvious in the compact player. Previously, the Ambient Mode was most apparent above the video in your status bar, while being barely visible below it. The effect now really appears behind the rows for video title and stats, while this change emphasizes the rounded corners of the sheet that houses comments, Up Next recommendations, etc.

Old vs. new

When you pull down on that sheet and enter the fullscreen portrait mode, Ambient Mode is very apparent. You could barely make it out before this update. (It was only somewhat more visible on-device compared to the left screenshot below.)

This updated effect is also applied in landscape, which just introduced in October, to the left and right of the video. As always, you can disable it from the gear icon in the top-right corner > Additional settings. We’re seeing this Ambient Mode change with version 18.49 of YouTube for Android.