14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone 8.1, the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, arrives on devices with a nice range of appealing features packed inside, including an updated Internet Explorer Mobile application, capable of delivering a much better experience than before.
The refreshed application arrives on Windows Phone 8.1 devices as Internet Explorer 11, with a nice range of improvements and optimizations packed inside, including some that relate to accessing YouTube while on the go.
For those out of the loop, we should note that Google and Microsoft have been into a conflict regarding the availability of a YouTube application on Windows Phone, and that users were those who suffered the most because of this.
However, the new Internet Explorer 11 is here to resolve all previous issues, being capable of rendering the YouTube mobile website great on smartphones running Windows Phone 8.1, as WPCentral notes in a recent article.
First and foremost, the browser will provide users with the possibility to pin the YouTube mobile website to the home screen as a Live Tile, which will also enable them to access it through Cortana.
When entering YouTube in Internet Explorer 11 Mobile, users will also receive full access to their accounts, as well as the possibility to check their watch history, as well as the "watch later" lists.
Moreover, they will also be able to have a look at their collection of playlists and will get the chance to receive notifications on new videos from subscribed accounts.
Entering the YouTube mobile website via Internet Explorer 11 on a smartphone will also allow users to configure Connect to TV, as well as other settings and options.
The playback of video content has been improved as well in the new mobile browser iteration, which will result in a far better overall experience when playing content on a Windows Phone. Users also receive better control over videos, it seems.
Internet Explorer 11 on Windows Phone 8.1 also comes with support for gestures, allowing users to go back and forth in their browsing history through simply swiping left or right from each side of the Windows Phone screen.
Overall, it appears that the manner in which the YouTube mobile website works in Internet Explorer 11 for Windows Phone 8.1 at the moment offers an experience on par with that of a dedicated application. However, such software might still arrive on the mobile OS sooner or later, should Google and Microsoft resolve their differences on the matter.