YouTube for iOS updated to run better on iPhone 5 and iPad

Google has updated its YouTube app for iOS to run better on the iPhone 5 and the iPad, and support the larger screen sizes and higher DPI. Besides the optimisation, users can now stream video with AirPlay, a feature that was not available with the previous version of the app. The update also allows you to tap the logo to open your channel guide, add and remove videos from playlists, click links in video descriptions, and brings improved accessibility with VoiceOver.

After Apple removed the YouTube app, which came pre-loaded  from iOS 6, Google swiftly released a dedicated app for the iPhone. However the app wasn't fully optimised for the iPhone 5 and the iPad, and lacked support for the high-resolution screens. Click here to download the app for your iPad or iPhone.

YouTube app now supports the iPhone 5 and iPad

The YouTube app for the iPhone and iPad allows users to browse through YouTube’s vast video catalogue, find videos and channels easily with voice search and query auto-complete, subscribe to channels and instantly access subscriptions with the channel guide UI. Users can also read comments, browse related videos and enable subtitles while viewing content. The app also features the ability to share videos via Google+, email, Facebook and Twitter.

Prior to the launch of the YouTube app for the iPhone, Google said Web-connected smartphones are increasingly important to YouTube's business. One billion of YouTube's daily video views now originate from mobile devices. Earlier this year, YouTube said it was streaming 4 billion videos every day.

The YouTube app for the iPhone features thousands of additional videos, and improved features for finding and sharing videos on social networks. Unlike the previous version of the YouTube iPhone app, the new version features online advertising, a Google spokesman said. Online ads generate the bulk of Google's revenue and YouTube already offers ads on its mobile website and on the Android version of the app.

Before Google launched the YouTube app, Apple stated that its license to include the YouTube app in iOS had ended. The relationship between Google and Apple has frayed over the years, as the shift from PCs to mobile devices has increased the competition between the two companies. YouTube was among the handful of apps that came pre-loaded with Apple's mobile devices since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007. The pre-installed YouTube app—which was actually built by Apple using YouTube standards—was not as full-featured as YouTube's website, but had been popular nonetheless.

According to data analytics firm Nielsen, YouTube was the third most-popular iPhone app, including both pre-installed apps and downloaded apps, in the U.S. in June.