News

YouTube currently testing their own messaging feature inside mobile app

The YouTube logo appears on screen at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on January 12, 2012. (Photo : Getty Images/ Ethan Miller)

YouTube is now testing their own messaging feature in the mobile app so that sharing funny cat videos to friends can be made easier than before.

Almost everyone has that one conversation about a hilarious YouTube video or about the latest trailer for an upcoming movie which can be seen on the video hosting site. On a computer, it's easy to share links with just a few clicks.



On smartphones, however, the user would have to leave his or her browser and YouTube app just to copy and paste the link to their messenger of choice. Now, YouTube is bridging that gap with their own messaging feature inside the app.

The feature is called native sharing and it is already being tested by a select few users, WIRED has learned. Users will be able to instantly share the YouTube video that they are watching and their friends can also join in on the conversation; all without leaving the YouTube app.




How to Master the Art of Sending Mobile App Upgrade Requests

Apps must be dynamic, or else users will eventually lose interest.

Even the most popular social apps that rely on user-generated content need to keep users interested and excited.

In order to do so, they must keep the dynamic game going by frequently making updates and changes over time.

This is a fact of life for all apps. And this is where you, as a mobile app owner, are faced with the challenge of asking your users to upgrade your app on their mobile devices.

Many devices are set to automatically update all apps, but with the swipe of a finger, users tend to disable this setting (sometimes after angrily Googling how to do it).

So, unless your users opted-in for automatic updates, convincing them to do the upgrade is easier said than done. Until you read this article, that is.

Here are a few best practices when it comes to asking users to update your app on their mobile devices: