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YouTube app for Android gets multitasking, playlist searches and a new UI

The YouTube app for Windows Phone may be having some troubles these days, but the Android version continues to get better and better. Today, YouTube started rolling out a big update for users, with the headlining feature being in-app multitasking -- meaning you can minimize a playing video while you search through the rest of YouTube's trove of moving pictures. The feature allows users to minimize a playing video to thumbnail size with a single tap, which relegates it to the bottom right corner of the screen. From there, you can dismiss said video by swiping it left or right, and bringing it back to full size is accomplished by tapping the video or an upward swipe. In practice, we found that the feature really shines when building out music video playlists, as you can listen to the tunes you've added while you search for new ones. Plus, the shrunken video can get a bit jittery at times and is too small to watch (especially on a phone), but the audio plays flawlessly.

Multitasking's not all users get with the new version, of course, as the update has also made playlists searchable and improved the YouTube Chromecast experience, too. Now, once you've hit the cast button in the app and tap to play a video, a window pops up with a thumbnail image, video description and the option to either play the video or add it to your playlist. And, along with that particular improvement, the entire app has been refreshed with Google's near-ubiquitous card UI first favored by Google Now. The update has just started rolling out to some Android users today, with more platforms set to receive the new features soon.