What Is YouTube's Ambient Mode And How To Enable It In Seconds

In the ever-evolving realm of social media,YouTube is the undisputed hub for creator content. Watching videos for hours has become the new normal, as the app has become increasingly user-friendly over time.

It is the go-to entertainment source for many, which is why a slew of new features like humming on the YouTube app and finding a song to enjoy the app in dark mode have been added to it to make the consumption process much easier and more fun. One such feature is Ambient Mode which is made to make the user experience captivating.

What Is YouTube Ambient Mode?

Ambient mode on YouTube is a lighting effect that enhances your video-watching experience. Introduced in October 2022 with the aim of re-creating the effect you get while watching TV in a dark room, this mode is an exciting take that lets YouTube player borders leak a subtle colour gradient based on the content you are watching and make your video’s surroundings more immersive. YouTube users can enjoy this feature across iOS, Desktop, and Android.

Enabling Dark Theme

Turning on the dark theme is a prerequisite across iOS, Android, and Desktop to enable Ambient Mode in YouTube. So, before the ambient mode, let’s see how to turn on the dark mode:

For iOS and Android: Open YouTube on your phone, go to your profile picture in the top right corner > Tap Settings > Appearance > Select Dark Theme.

For Desktop: Go to your profile picture > Appearance > Choose Dark Theme.

How To Enable Ambient Mode In YouTube?

Once you enable the dark theme, YouTube automatically turns on the ambient mode. To test it, follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1. Once you have enabled the Dark Theme, play any video on your iOS, Android, or Desktop on YouTube.

Step 2. Look for the gear icon in the YouTube player on the top right corner and select Ambient Mode.

Step 3. Switching to ambient mode will cast gentle colours from the video onto the surrounding area of your screen.

Step 4. Now, as the colour of a video changes, the glow around the YouTube player will also have a subtle colour gradient, creating a fun effect.

Notably, the intensity of the colour effect can be adjusted by tapping or clicking on the Ambient Mode icon. Moreover, if you disable the dark mode, ambient mode will also be disabled.