Most likely in anticipation of not being included in the next iOS 6 as the cold war between Apple and Google progresses, YouTube has developed a new app for diehard fans using iPhone and iPod touch devices.
YouTube was one of the earliest apps along with Maps from the Google stable to be bundled in with iOS from the launch of the iPhone in 2007.
However, Google’s adroit move into smartphones with Android impaired goodwill between it and Apple and an increasing sign of that divide is the prospect that Google Maps and YouTube will no longer be bundled as native apps on the next iPhone (due to be launched tomorrow, 12 September).
The new YouTube app for fans of the online video service is available from today in the Apple App Store.
The app was built from the ground up by YouTube engineers and includes a smooth new interface for discovering even more videos.
By swiping your finger from the left edge of the screen users can access their favourite channels.
Search has also been given a boost and YouTube claims the search is faster, with tools that give suggestions as you type and sort through videos and channels.
Users can even flip through related videos and comments while watching a video.
A welcome addition is the new sharing tools for sharing videos on Google+, Twitter and Facebook, as well as emailing on the link, putting it in a text message or on your Clipboard.
According to YouTube, more than 1bn views a day are logged by mobile users.
Only one question – when’s the iPad version coming?
