The YouTube TV Android app for mobile received an update recently which adds the option to receive notifications on content the app user might be interested in. The feature comes by way of a new ‘bell’ icon which is now present throughout the app. In the shortest of terms, clicking on the bell icon will add the TV show, movie, or event to your notifications library and YouTube TV will then send you a notification when related content airs.
Those already using the app will likely have seen the update arrive within the past few days and so will have already received the prompt (shown below) advising of the new feature with a brief overview of how it all works. In either case the bell icon largely only shows up when a user heads through to a TV show, movie, or event’s main page. The icon is then positioned in between the name of the content and the option to record. So users now essentially have the choice of whether to record an upcoming show, movie, event, or be notified when it airs, or of course, record and also be notified when it airs. The inclusion of the new icon has also resulted in the inclusion of a new tab within settings. As to be expected the new tab is entitled ‘Notifications” and this is where the user is able to view all active notifications, as well as the ability to turn off notifications on a per-title basis.
This feature has arrived following a much larger announcement from YouTube TV which came through last week. That announcement saw the live TV service greatly expand its compatibility footprint through a dedicated app for Android TV. Allowing owners of Android TV boxes and TVs powered by Android TV the option to break away from the restraints of having to use this mobile app version. As the Android TV version is a separate app however, this does mean that updates announced for the mobile version will not necessarily be rolling out to the Android TV version at the same time, if at all. Which at the moment seems to be the case with this feature with notifications currently only available to users of the mobile and tablet app version of YouTube TV.
