Gingerbread and Froyo get new YouTube UI
Google’s “innovative” ICS-style UI for the YouTube app has now landed on Gingerbread and Froyo (aka Android 2.3 and 2.2). It’s been a while since the app got its new look on later Android versions, and with this update, Google proves that there’s certainly nothing stopping them from keeping older versions up to date either.
I can’t say I like the new UI, but then again I don’t like any of the UI changes made in ICS. Still, it’s good that Google at least bothers to update some of its own software. The company’s track record isn’t exactly great, with things like a Gmail widget still missing on some versions of Android, not to mention the complete lack of support for standard Android features like Share and action shortcuts from several of Google’s apps. With Android distribution still showing only a quarter of devices on Honeycomb or above, Google needs to stop living in a fantasy world where it develops software independently of the reality of the fractured market its business model helped create.
Anyway, enjoy this rare bit of insight from Google and head over to Google Play to grab the update. Statistically speaking, you’re likely still on Gingerbread too.
Download: Google Play