YouTube is rolling out a new video chapters feature to make it easier to skip around through lengthier videos.
YouTube says video chapters are now rolling out in its Android and iOS apps as well as on the desktop. Video chapters will be automatically added to a video when the video's creator adds chapter info to the description with timestamps and titles (via TechCrunch). The first timestamp will start at 0:00, and then the creator can mark where the next chapter starts and give it a title.
0:00 We heard you and added Video Chapters.
0:30 You liked it.
1:00 Now it's official: Video Chapters are here to stay.
1:30 Creators, try Chapters by adding timestamps starting at 0:00 to your video description. Viewers, scrub to find exactly what you’re looking for.
2:00 Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/bIHGsGVmyW— YouTube (@YouTube) May 28, 2020
When a video has chapters, you'll see breaks in the timeline on mobile to help you visualize where the chapters are and how many there are in the video.
Scrubbing through a video timeline might be kind of tough on mobile since your finger could get in the way of seeing where you are and what a chapter's title is, so the YouTube app will give you a little haptic feedback when you move into a new chapter.
Mobile users can also hold their finger on the scrubber and move it up and down the timeline to see exactly where they're at in the video.
These video chapters could be great for longer YouTube videos. Now you'll easily be able to see the chapters that a video is broken up into and scrub through to find exactly the part you're looking for rather than scrubbing through and searching by looking at thumbnails. It's also good to see YouTube take into account the fact that a person's thumb could make it harder to see the chapters on a phone by adding the haptic feedback when you reach a new chapter.
