Google's New iOS App 'Uptime' Lets Users Watch YouTube Videos Together

[MacRumors]

Google has created a new app called "Uptime" [Direct Link] that allows users to watch YouTube videos in real time along with their friends (via The Verge). The iOS-only app is available in the United States and was created through Google's internal incubator program known as Area 120, which continues the company's famous workplace perk that encourages employees to take 20 percent of their week to focus on independent side projects.

With Uptime, the company has added live-watching features -- similar to apps like Periscope -- on top of video watching. When friends join in on the same video, they can comment, react, add stickers, and more. When users start a video, their avatar will move along a progress bar to note where they are in it, and they'll be able to see their friends' progress in the same way.

Uptime is a place to share and watch videos together with friends no matter where they are. Easily share your favorite YouTube video and bring friends together to watch, chat, and have fun in real time.

The app will also act as a sort of social hub for YouTube, with users able to follow one another to see their watch history, and share clips from YouTube without leaving the app. Given Uptime's nascence, its makers at Google are encouraging users to provide feedback through email and on the app's official twitter account so that any problems can be addressed in future updates.

Users who are interested and download Uptime on the iOS App Store [Direct Link] can gain access by using the invite code "PIZZA."

Article Link: Google's New iOS App 'Uptime' Lets Users Watch YouTube Videos Together

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

My daughter and her friends would like this, but too bad Google doesn't have an Android version, too, as her friends are a mix of Apple and Android users.

 

[johannnn]

I must get old. I REALLY don't see the point of this app.

 

[RightMACatU]

Google already sucks all that data about me. Now I can drag my friends into it

 

[chrono1081]

I must get old. I REALLY don't see the point of this app.

Same here. This sounds like a flop in the making.

Not to mention if I'm with my friends, I get pissed if they pull out their phones and start watching Youtube videos. Enjoy each others company.

 

[enc0re]

This is great! I have been wanting Netflix to do this for years.

It's perfect when you or your spouse are travelling on business and want to do something "together" in the evening. There are stories of Bill and Melinda Gates doing this back in the day with rentals and going "3-2-1-play" over the phone.

Seriously, why hasn't Netflix been doing this?

 

[thekeyring]

Same here. This sounds like a flop in the making.

Not to mention if I'm with my friends, I get pissed if they pull out their phones and start watching Youtube videos. Enjoy each others company.

I must get old. I REALLY don't see the point of this app.

No one knows how successful it will be, but the point seems obvious - You watch things on YouTube at the same time as friends for the same reason you'd go to the cinema or watch TV together.

 

[sguser]

"I don't want to live on this planet any more..." I'm sick of those stories, social this social that. Now simultaneous YouTube watching. Each generation is getting dumber and dumber...

 

[Baumi]

My daughter and her friends would like this, but too bad Google doesn't have an Android version, too, as her friends are a mix of Apple and Android users.

Knowing Google, I don't think this has a future as a standalone app. My guess is that it will either at some point become a standard feature of the YouTube app on all platforms, or it'll end up being an unsupported and forgotten tech demo.

 

[Kaibelf]

No one knows how successful it will be, but the point seems obvious - You watch things on YouTube at the same time as friends for the same reason you'd go to the cinema or watch TV together.

Really? I thought people go to the cinema together to get a bigger, louder experience than they would get on a home screen. In this case, they are all just looking at phones together.

 

[69Mustang]

Not to mention if I'm with my friends, I get pissed if they pull out their phones and start watching Youtube videos. Enjoy each others company.

The app is clearly aimed at friends who are not in the same location.
"Uptime is a place to share and watch videos together with friends no matter where they are. Easily share your favorite YouTube video and bring friends together to watch, chat, and have fun in real time."

Whether you like the service or not (I'd have no personal interest), the argument you presented isn't the strongest. This app seems to be targeted to the teen set.

 

[Sefstah]

I must get old. I REALLY don't see the point of this app.

Im thinking of all the kids at the house sitting down and watching/learning together. Sounds like a good start.

 

[iMerik]

This is great! I have been wanting Netflix to do this for years.

It's perfect when you or your spouse are travelling on business and want to do something "together" in the evening. There are stories of Bill and Melinda Gates doing this back in the day with rentals and going "3-2-1-play" over the phone.

Seriously, why hasn't Netflix been doing this?

Didn't know I wanted this until now. Would much rather have co-watching for Netflix than YouTube.

 

[thekeyring]

Really? I thought people go to the cinema together to get a bigger, louder experience than they would get on a home screen. In this case, they are all just looking at phones together.

Of course that's a big part of it. But you recognise most people don't go to the cinema on their own, despite everything you just mentioned.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I love everything about this idea, except the whole Google owns YouTube part.

I look forward to Facebook and Netflix duplicating it.

 

[thekeyring]

Didn't know I wanted this until now. Would much rather have co-watching for Netflix than YouTube.

I think that's the biggest drawback. This is a great idea for an hour long show on Netflix, but not so great for 4 minute YouTube videos.
[doublepost=1489417182][/doublepost]

I love everything about this idea, except the whole Google owns YouTube part.

I look forward to Facebook and Netflix duplicating it.

Google do seem to have shown a tremendous lack of vision with YouTube.

There were more than a few people suggesting YouTube was "the future of TV" 10 years ago. But Facebook launched and I guess Google felt threatened in the social media area, so tried to compete using YouTube. Now it's clear Netflix & co are the future of TV, and YouTube is being pushed back towards being a TV replacement. Google/YouTube could have had a 10 year head start.
[doublepost=1489417404][/doublepost]

"I don't want to live on this planet any more..." I'm sick of those stories, social this social that. Now simultaneous YouTube watching. Each generation is getting dumber and dumber...

Kids these days, eh?

Watch this:

 

[avanpelt]

For people that travel for work and want to watch something simultaneously with their spouse or kids, this is a great idea. Gives them an added sense of "being together" even when separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. Hopefully Netflix, Hulu, and others can adopt this technology, as well. Obviously, not everyone will find this feature useful, but certain people will find it very useful.

 

[Baumi]

There were more than a few people suggesting YouTube was "the future of TV" 10 years ago. But Facebook launched and I guess Google felt threatened in the social media area, so tried to compete using YouTube. Now it's clear Netflix & co are the future of TV, and YouTube is being pushed back towards being a TV replacement. Google/YouTube could have had a 10 year head start.

Not sure if Google could have pulled off that one, though. They're more of an engineering company than a media company. Offering a platform for others to play with looks more like their kind of business model.

Also, I think Netflix works so well because they are focused on a very specific product range and nothing else. A company under the Google/Alphabet umbrella would most likely be subject to the kind of demands, turf wars and infighting that usually come with being part of a big corporation, sapping away energy and diluting that clear vision.

 

[Cergman]

For those interested in this for Netflix, check out http://showgoers.tv/

 

[C DM]

"I don't want to live on this planet any more..." I'm sick of those stories, social this social that. Now simultaneous YouTube watching. Each generation is getting dumber and dumber...

The horror of people watching the same play at the same time thousands of years ago...clearly humanity was doomed long ago and isn't around anymore.

 

[dolphin842]

Seriously, why hasn't Netflix been doing this?

You used to be able to co-watch Netflix years ago with the Xbox 360's 'Party Mode', where you'd create a group of friends and then watch something together. It even displayed the video inside of a 'theater' with everyone's avatars in the audience. An update removed the feature... not sure whether that was due to Microsoft or Netflix, but it's been long gone for years.

The only reliable way to co-watch web video (YouTube, Netflix, Twitch, Hulu, etc) that I've found lately is Rabb.it. It works well enough, but I wish they had an iPad app.

To everyone questioning the need for this type of app: Sometimes you or your friends move to distant locations, but you still want to hang out and watch stuff together. It amazes me that group co-watching of video is a technology that has remained so nascent for so long.

 

[WFAR1010]

If you like this idea, and obviously not everyone does, you should check out FimFum -
Google Uptime copies FimFum - FimFum share Youtube, Facebook & your videos with friends, watch together, chat, emoticons, pause & talk ... worth a look iOS and Android ....

 

[augustrushrox]

This is great! I have been wanting Netflix to do this for years.

It's perfect when you or your spouse are travelling on business and want to do something "together" in the evening. There are stories of Bill and Melinda Gates doing this back in the day with rentals and going "3-2-1-play" over the phone.

Seriously, why hasn't Netflix been doing this?

You might like the Chrome extension Showgoers! It syncs Netflix playback across computers!

 

[Glassed Silver]

My daughter and her friends would like this, but too bad Google doesn't have an Android version, too, as her friends are a mix of Apple and Android users.

Probably just a matter of weeks or months.

And to be frank, I agree with one of the former commentators that this is most likely not going to stay its own app and get merged into the main app sooner or later.

Extending on that, making this its own app means it'll get more publicity, meaning that once the feature rolls out in the main app (and probably the website as well) more people will know about it and use it.

Either way, I think this is a LONG overdue feature and several apps and websites have already let you do this for quite some time now.
Glad they picked up the idea.

Glassed Silver:ios

 

[Captainjackyass]

Hope they give credit to turntable FM...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turntable.fm