• YouTube is rolling out over a dozen updates to all users today.
• Among these is the ability for all users to set a Sleep Timer when watching content before bed.
• There are also several updates that improve the quality of life for mobile and TV users.

This week YouTube is rolling out over a dozen updates to its platform across, web, TV, mobile and even YouTube Music. While the focus is primarily on the mobile and TV experience, there are subtle updates all users will benefit from.

One of the highlights in these updates is the Sleep Timer. Previously tested among Premium users, all YouTube mobile users will now be able to set a timer so that content will be paused after a specific period.

Users can choose to continue playing videos for up to an hour before they are paused or, pause playback at the end of a video.

The other noteworthy update is to playlists. YouTube is making it easier to build and share playlists with friends and family. Collaborators can invite each other to customise a playlist with a special link or a QR code. Users can also now use AI to create custom thumbnail art for a playlist. This is a great tweak especially with the holiday season approaching. Now you can get everybody to contribute to the roadtrip playlist.

“And later this year, users will be able to vote on videos in playlists, letting you and your friends curate the best line-up. It also allows for further interaction with creators: a creator could use this feature to have their viewers rank their favorite unboxings or reviews,” writes Matthew Darby, director of product management at YouTube.

The YouTube Miniplayer is also getting an upgrade allowing users to resize and move the miniplayer around in the mobile app.

YouTube Shorts should also look and behave a bit better on a TV. Interacting with shorts should be easier and it looks like things are designed specifically for the platform rather than porting the mobile experience over to a TV. For one, YouTube looks to be leveraging the space the 9:16 video format creates to allow for multitasking while viewing content.

The platform says that these updates are among some of the most requested by users. While they aren’t massive changes, they do improve the usability of the platform across devices, something YouTube has been trying to do for a good few years now.

If you want to test drive features early you’ll need to subscribe to YouTube Premium. Aside from getting in on the ground floor with new features, you also remove ads which makes YouTube Premium one of the few subscriptions we recommend without hesitation, especially if you’re the type of person who falls asleep to YouTube videos.