YouTube testing simplied video quality controls, default settings option for mobile data, Wi-Fi

YouTube's new test makes it simpler for users to understand which video quality consumes more data. There's also a default settings option for YouTube streaming on mobile data, and Wi-Fi.

YouTube's new video quality preferences

YouTube is working on a simplified way of adjusting video quality settings for users. It is also adding more options for users to customise the settings of video quality on YouTube. The new features are currently being tested in beta.

YouTube beta version 15.45.32 comes with the new video quality settings, as reported by 9to5Google. There's no word on the wide availability of the new YouTube features for now. YouTube's new test shows video quality options as “auto”, “higher picture quality”, “data saver” and “advanced”. YouTube mentions that higher picture quality uses more data while data saver offers a lower picture quality. You can select advanced to pick a specific resolution for the video. YouTube will also show the quality for the current video if it's 480, 720p, 1080p and so on.

YouTube currently shows video quality options in resolution for people to choose from. The resolution count is self explanatory when it comes to getting better video quality. But the new layout makes it more simple while keeping options open for users who want to choose a specific resolution.

YouTube has also updated the settings menu with video quality options on mobile and Wi-Fi. You can choose either auto (recommended), higher picture quality or data saver as the default video setting under mobile data and Wi-Fi. This will set the same quality for all videos you watch on YouTube. Otherwise, you can choose to change the quality manually for each video.

The new YouTube changes are visible on its beta app for Android. It's not confirmed yet if Google will bring these new features to YouTube for all users, and on all platforms.