YouTube is the biggest video platform in the world, but it isn’t perfect. There are a lot of ads, the service can be slow on some connections, and the algorithm isn’t always the best for finding content you like.
Luckily, there are a lot of alternatives that you can use to get better quality videos on YouTube. But if you want to stick with the big player, there are some things you can do to ensure your videos play at their best.
The first thing you should know is that you can’t watch videos in a resolution higher than the one they were uploaded in. This is because YouTube can only stream the highest quality that your connection can handle, so it won’t be able to do anything higher than what the original uploader did.
To solve this issue, you can use the video quality settings on the YouTube app. To do this, open the app and tap your account display profile in the upper right (iOS) or on the bottom of the screen (Android). Select Video quality preferences. Here, you can choose Auto, Higher picture quality, or Data saver, depending on your preference and how much data you want to save.
If you choose Auto, YouTube will determine the best video quality based on your current network speed and device screen size. If you want to have more control over the video quality, you can go into advanced and manually select your preferred resolution. The only drawback is that you won’t be able to change this setting once a video has started playing.
Another way to change the quality of the video you’re watching is by opening the menu while it’s playing and selecting the gear icon. From here, you can adjust the video quality and the audio quality as well. Once you’re happy with the quality, you can save it as a default for all future videos you view on YouTube.
You can also change the video quality from within the video itself by tapping anywhere on the screen of the video player. A pop-up menu will appear where you can select a different video quality from a list of options, including HD, Standard, and 360p.
This option isn’t available for all videos, but it can be a good way to make sure you get the best quality possible out of your YouTube experience. You can also download a YouTube video quality extension, such as YouTube Vanced, to get more customization options. However, it’s important to note that these extensions can slow down your phone, so be careful about using them too often.