Google is testing a new incognito mode for its YouTube Android app, enabling users to cover the tracks left by viewing sessions.
Android Police has posted screenshots of an easy-to-find option to ‘Turn on Incognito’ within the account settings in the YouTube app.
That’ll enable users to stay logged into the app and watch videos, without them being added to their viewing history or informing recommendations.
When the incognito mode is enabled, YouTube users will receive a notification explains their activity from the session will be cleared. Their Google account avatar will also be covered by an incognito icon.
While YouTube content isn’t necessarily associated with the need for a PornHub-like private mode, there are plenty of legitimate reasons for users to hide their viewing history.
For example, if someone’s plotting a gift and looking at reviews, they may not want those videos showing up in the YouTube app on the smart TV. Likewise if they’re plotting a crafting project as a surprise.
Or, you know, if they get a little too deep down the rabbit hole of the YouTube’s wild conspiracy theories.
Plenty of Google apps, with Chrome being the prime example, have an incognito mode, so it’s surprising YouTube doesn’t have its own yet.
If it rolls out to the main app, it’ll replace the current method, which gives users the opportunity to pause their watch and search history, via the History and Privacy settings.
Which of your favourite apps would benefit from the addition of an incognito mode? Share them with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
