Use Ambient mode to fully immerse yourself in your favourite YouTube videos. Here’s how to utilise this function on a desktop and mobile device.
If you find yourself watching YouTube videos for hours on end, the platform offers an ambient mode that might improve your viewing experience on both desktop and mobile devices.
You may start using YouTube Ambient mode right now to fully immerse yourself in the video-watching experience while minimising eye strain.
What Is YouTube Ambient Mode?
When you watch YouTube videos, the ambient mode adds gradient colours to the screen’s background. The function adds a subtle gradient texture to the colours of the YouTube video you’re now watching, giving the impression that the colours are seeping into the surrounding areas of the video player.
Your viewing experience will be more immersive thanks to YouTube’s dynamic Ambient mode, which instantaneously modifies the background colour whenever the colours in the video change. The feature can only be used in dark mode due to its nature.
Having said that, before moving on to the next section, where we walk you through using ambient mode on YouTube, be sure to enable dark mode first. In the unlikely event that you don’t see the choice, we also advise updating the YouTube app on your mobile device to ensure you’re using the most recent version.
How to Use Ambient Mode on YouTube (Android and iOS)
Ambient mode on YouTube will automatically activate when dark mode is enabled. You can, however, disable the function. How to do it is as follows:
1. Any YouTube video can be tapped to begin playing.
2. To access the control options, tap the screen.
3. In the top right corner, tap the Settings icon. A pop-up menu will appear as a result.
4. Toggle between additional settings and other options.
5. Lastly, to turn off the feature, tap Ambient mode. A pop-up notification indicating that the feature has been disabled will appear.
Use the same procedures to enable Ambient mode once more. You should be aware that Ambient mode requires an active internet connection in order to function for offline videos. You won’t even see the Ambient mode option in the settings pop-up box if you download and play a YouTube video.
How to Use Ambient Mode on YouTube (Desktop)
You may also utilise Ambient mode on the desktop version of YouTube. Like on a mobile device, you have to first activate dark mode, which by default also activates ambient mode.
That being said, here’s how to turn off Ambient mode on the desktop version of YouTube:
1. Select a YouTube video to play, then point the cursor over the player to see control options.
2. In the lower right corner of the movie, click the Settings icon.
3. To turn off the feature, select Ambient mode from the pop-up menu. The gradient background of your video player will instantly disappear from its surrounding areas. After then, all YouTube videos will no longer be in ambient mode.
Ambient mode is also supported by the Theatre mode function on the YouTube desktop. As a result, using the Default view is not necessary for the effects to display.
You may enhance your YouTube viewing experience by using the ambient mode. Choosing Settings > Quality > Higher picture quality (mobile) or, if you’re on YouTube’s desktop site, choosing a higher specified resolution like 1080p, 1440p, or 2160p are two more ways to improve the video quality.
As an alternative, you can permanently adjust the YouTube video quality. However, streaming at a lower quality would be preferable because this may rapidly become an expensive adventure if you’re on a limited data plan.