YouTube has a couple of basic gesturesDouble-click on the sides to rewind or fast-forward 10 seconds, tap in the middle for pause, resolution, etc. options, and at most, swipe down to minimize the video and continue browsing the app… But… Wouldn't it be comfortable to have some to increase the brightness and volume? We teach you how to do it!
The trick is to take advantage alternative clients and gesture apps These tools add advanced touch controls to the YouTube player, similar to what players like VLC or Mobo Player already offer. With these tools, you'll be able to... raise and lower the volume o adjust brightness with a simple vertical swipe, without touching physical buttons or leaving the video, and even combining it with options like auto brightnessgesture control in videos 360 ° or integration into embedded players.
In order to do this we will need YouTube Advanced, an alternative YouTube client that allows us more customization options. So let's go to the first step.
Step 1. Download YouTube Vanced and MicroG
The first thing we will need is download the app. But it is an APK, we cannot find it in the Play Store, so we will have to download it from your page.
To download it you will have to search for the your processor architectureOr, more conveniently, download whichever one you want from "Architecture: All"This ensures you don't make a mistake and it will work on most compatible Android devices.
You will also have to download MicroG For that purpose. It's an app that allows us log in with our Google account It doesn't rely on the official YouTube app. It's installed from the same website, and it's also an APK file that you'll need to authorize through your phone's settings for installing apps from unknown sources.
Once MicroG is downloaded, we do the same with the app itself, YouTube AdvancedIn the same way that we downloaded MicroG. We look for it to be "all" for architecture, or failing that, for the architecture of your processor, we select the color or theme that we want (for example, a dark theme for OLED screens, highly recommended for saving battery), and we download and install the APK. It's that simple.
Of course, and in case there was any doubt, we have tested these applications and they are one hundred percent safeThere is no problem installing this APK as long as you do it from its official page and keep your device updated.
Now we have this new YouTube client. The next step is to activate it. gestures of shine and volume to control playback with complete ease.
Step 2. Enable gestures in YouTube Vanced
Once we have the app installed, we open the options, in the same place that we would have the options with our normal YouTube app. And once in the options we select Vanced settings and we enter the section of Swipe controls and we activate them.
Interesting options to adjust the experience:
- Gesture for brightness: activates brightness control by sliding vertically on one side of the screen.
- Gesture for volume: allows you to raise and lower the volume by sliding on the opposite side.
- Enable automatic brightness gestureIf you activate it, you can combine the gesture with the system automatic brightness modeMany users use it like this: first, they activate the brightness gesture, open any video, and slide down until the brightness is at zero; from then on, the phone returns to normal automatic brightness, but you retain the option to Adjust the brightness manually when needed with a simple gesture.
- Speed and sensitivity of the gestureDepending on the version, you can adjust how quickly the volume or brightness changes with each swipe for more precise control.
Setting these parameters correctly is important if you watch a lot of videos with dark scenes or if you suffer with videos that have the audio very low or poorly mixed. Thanks to gestures, you can correct it without pausing or searching for the small controls in the interface.
Step 3. Check and enjoy the volume and brightness gestures
And once you've done that, you're all set. To check it, open a video and play it in full screen horizontally. Now, to control the costumes test to slide vertically up and down on the right side of the screen. And to The brightness is the same but on the left side.
And now, as we can see in the images, our volume or brightness level will appear in the middle of the screen and we can modify it with just a simple vertical slide. Comfortable right? Have you tried it yet? Go do it!
This type of gesture control is ideal if you usually Watching lots of YouTube videos on my mobile phoneBecause it prevents you from having to touch the physical buttons, it doesn't change the overall volume you use later in other apps, and it saves you from constantly going into the quick settings to adjust the brightness, for example, when you show a video to your friends or switch from watching content indoors to outdoors.
Alternatives: touch gestures with external apps
If you don't want to switch clients and prefer to continue using the official app, there are applications like YouTube Touch Gestures o Touch Controls for YouTube These gestures are added on top of the original player using Android's accessibility services.
Although we can adjust the volume using the phone's physical buttons, we'll probably end up leaving it at that level for other apps just to watch a video reasonably well. Similarly, it's usually a nuisance to keep changing the screen brightness to show it to friends. Wouldn't it be great to be able to change that in real time while watching videos without having to touch the settings? This is what we achieve with the following application called YouTube Touch GesturesYou can download it from the banner above, which will take you to Google Play where the app is free. For iOS users, there's no alternative this time.
Once it's installed, we'll simply need to open it to configure its various controls, such as the ability to have the touch controls on YouTube in addition to other options such as making the parts of the screen we touch larger.
It's worth noting that this is a free app that allows us to use certain features in a trial version and displays a banner on the screen. We'll need to unlock the full version to access, for example, the brightness control or that automatically detects that we are viewing a Video in 360º In addition to being integrated into embedded players on any website we visit, all we'll have to do is slide our finger across the video to raise and lower the brightness, a gesture inspired by the one used in the popular VLC player.
The truth is that it presents itself as a very interesting tool for someone who is used to watching a lot of videos. YouTube on mobileThe convenience of momentarily changing the volume or screen brightness with just a touch is a feature that, once you try it, you'll probably want to keep installing, and we guarantee that the price you have to pay for the full version is worth it.
Another similar option is Touch Controls for YouTubeIt's also available for free on Google Play. It works on top of the official app and adds volume and brightness controls via swipes, without requiring root permissions.
- The first thing we are going to need is install the Touch Controls for YouTube app It's available for free from the Google Play Store. You can find the direct link to the widget at the end of this post.
- Once you have the app installed, launch it and you will find the options to activate the application in accessibility services.
- By clicking on “Accessibility Settings” in the pop-up window, select “Touch Controls for YouTube” and activate the service by using the button at the top of the screen.
We will have everything ready for adjust the various application parameters Such as the speed of gestures for volume and brightness, and the use of percentages instead of normal increments. These options are available for free; the others require a €2 payment. Some of these include the use of auto brightnessTap anywhere to play, pause, or detect 360-degree videos.
Once the settings are complete, you can proceed to play videos and adjust the volume when you swipe Swipe down or up, while doing the same on the side will change the brightness. This way, without switching apps or using mods, you achieve a much smoother playback experience, as if you had an advanced player integrated directly into YouTube.
Among the various options—modified clients like YouTube Vanced, external apps like YouTube Touch Gestures or Touch Controls for YouTube, and even browser extensions with mouse gestures in a desktop version—it's possible to customize video playback to your liking so that the volume and brightness control with gestures be natural and fast both on mobile and on computer.
With all these tools, a much more comfortable experienceYouTube is no longer just another video app; it now offers a much more convenient experience, where adjusting the brightness in dark scenes or increasing the volume of low audio is done with a simple gesture, without breaking the rhythm of what you are watching.
