【2018 Archives】

You018 Archivesnow watch your favorite problematic YouTube stars in peace — at least, if you’re an Android user.

The popular video streaming app has officially launched "Incognito Mode" on the Android version of the app. YouTube started testing the feature back in May, and now it's rolling out to all Android users.

Much like its Chrome counterpart, YouTube’s Incognito Mode enables users to browse in private. The feature disables both your watch history and search history. That means if someone were to borrow your phone and open the app, they would not be able to see anything you searched for or viewed while you were in Incognito Mode because it doesn’t log any of that information.

Android users will be greeted by this message when turning on Incognito Mode for the first time:

You've gone incognito.

When you turn off Incognito or become inactive, your activity from this session will be cleared and you’ll return to the account last used.

Your activity might still be visible to your employer, school, or internet service provider.

The company appears to be aware of some of the misconceptions around Incognito Mode, and this initial message serves as a fair warning about what it can and can't do. The feature only prevents browser history information from being stored locally on the device. The websites you visit still pass through your internet service provider or your work’s network where they are not obscured by Incognito Mode and can still be tracked.

When Incognito Mode is enabled, you will see the same hat and shades icon that Google uses for incognito mode in Chrome. Trying to access any of the personalized tabs in the app – such as Subscriptions, Library, Inbox, or Search – reminds the user that they are in Incognito Mode, leaving access to only the Home and Trending feeds. To turn off Incognito Mode, users can just tap the icon. There is also an option to turn it off automatically after a certain period of time.

The latest version of YouTube for Android is now available in the Google Play store, so feel free to update and then binge watch all the embarrassing YouTube videos you want.

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