YouTube Music’s mobile app has introduced a comments section to its ‘Now Playing’ screen.
This recent feature, initially reported by 9to5Google, has been undergoing tests since June and is now visible in both YouTube Music’s Android and iOS apps.
With this update, a slide-up panel allows users to peruse comments related to specific tracks and videos, offering the ability to sort them by ‘Top’ or ‘Newest,’ similar to the functionality on YouTube’s primary platform.
Users can also actively engage by leaving their own comments directly from within the YouTube Music app.
What does this mean for YouTube?
This development positions YouTube Music as one of the pioneering global music services to incorporate a comments section, distinguishing it from others.
It’s worth noting that this feature has long been a standard component of music platforms in China.
More recently, the service introduced a ‘Comment Square’ feature, providing an alternative channel for listeners to both post and explore comments.
The revamped YouTube Music user interface (UI) closely mirrors the design of the primary YouTube app, featuring a row of pill-shaped buttons that create a consistent user experience across both platforms.
The three-dot menu in the top corner remains intact, offering various options, including the ability to view song credits and enhancing the accessibility of essential functions.
Song titles have been shifted to the left, departing from their previous centred alignment, and song controls have been relocated towards the bottom of the UI.
This is not the first instance of the comments section being tested on YouTube Music, as the streaming service began experimenting with this feature back in June.
According to 9to5, the updated Now Playing UI is gradually rolling out to YouTube Music on both Android and iOS platforms, ensuring an improved and interactive experience for users.
