It’s perfectly normal for apps to receive updates periodically to provide a better user experience. However, sometimes this process can backfire, leading to unintended consequences. Indeed, with the upcoming new update that YouTube will soon receive, there will be some critical changes made to the app. While this patch is good news for newer models, it signals a significant issue for older devices.
An update is coming for YouTube on Android, and it may cause performance issues on older devices.
According to reports shared by Android Police, the YouTube Android app will soon receive the March 2024 Google Play system update. With this new patch, a decoder known as “libdav1d,” developed by the team behind the popular video playback software VLC, will be used. This change may cause performance issues on older devices.
The use of the AV1 decoder in the YouTube Android version, especially at a time when 4K resolution is becoming a standard, will enhance video quality and improve visuals, at least on newer Android smartphones.
Claims suggest that the use of the libdav1d AV1 decoder in older Android devices will cause various issues. This new feature, coming to devices running Android 12 and newer versions, will lead to stuttering and various battery problems when using the app on older devices that lack hardware decoding support for AV1.
While a significant portion of Android users would benefit from improved video quality in the app, many are calling for the transition to AV1 to be halted due to concerns that it will degrade the user experience. As mentioned above, not every smartphone today supports hardware decoding for AV1, which can lead to performance issues and compatibility challenges.
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