What is Ambient Mode on YouTube?
YouTube has lately revealed several modifications to its video-watching interface. Among these alterations, there is a novel feature called Ambient Mode.In this instructional guide, we will thoroughly explain what YouTube's Ambient Mode actually is and demonstrate to you the specific steps on how to turn it on or off.
- Author: Shine
- Update: Mar 12, 2025
What exactly does YouTube's Ambient Mode refer to?
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YouTube's Ambient Mode is a unique lighting feature. It projects the colors from the video you are currently viewing onto the outer edge of the video player interface. This creates a more immersive environment, as the colors blend with the periphery of the video, making your viewing experience feel more engaging and enveloping. It's quite similar to how a television set casts the colors and light of its on-screen content into a dimly lit room, enhancing the overall atmosphere.
YouTube rolled out this mode in October 2022, with the intention of replicating the visual and sensory effect that one experiences when watching TV in a darkened room, thus bridging the gap between traditional TV viewing and digital video streaming on its platform.
How to Enable and Use Ambient Mode in YouTube for iPhone and Android
If you want to make use of YouTube's Ambient Mode on your iPhone or Android device, there's an important prerequisite: you need to enable your phone's Dark Mode. That's because Light Mode simply doesn't support Ambient Mode at all.
For Android users, the process of enabling Dark Mode is straightforward. Just navigate to the Settings app on your device, then tap on Display. From there, you'll see an option labeled "Dark Theme." Toggle it on, and you're all set.
On the other hand, iPhone users can activate Dark Mode by going into the Settings app, then selecting Display & Brightness. Look for the "Dark" option and switch it on.
Once you've successfully enabled Dark Mode on your phone, YouTube will automatically turn on Ambient Mode for you. To check if it's working as expected, open the YouTube app on your device and start playing any video. As the video plays, you'll notice that the colors from the video are being displayed in the area surrounding the video player. This creates a more immersive viewing experience, making it feel as if you're truly surrounded by the visual elements of the content you're watching.
If the Ambient Mode effect isn't visible to you, or if you wish to disable this mode, simply tap on the gear-shaped icon located in the upper right corner of the video player. Once you do that, from the menu that pops up, choose the option labeled "Additional Settings."
Depending on whether you enable or disable the feature, YouTube will display a message showing the current feature status.
YouTube maintains the Ambient Mode feature in an active state until you deliberately turn it off by accessing the relevant settings manually, or until you deactivate your phone's Dark Mode.
How You Can Enable and Employ Ambient Mode on the Desktop Version of YouTube
YouTube provides the Ambient Mode feature on its desktop site, yet you must activate the site's Dark Mode in order to utilize this functionality.
Here's how to go about it. First, open a web browser on your computer, whether it's running Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chrome OS (in the case of a Chromebook), and then navigate to YouTube.com. Notably, you don't need to sign into a specific account to make use of the Ambient Mode.
Once the YouTube website finishes loading, look for your profile icon in the top-right corner if you're already logged in. If you're not logged in, you'll see three dots instead. Click on either of these elements. From the menu that pops up, select the option labeled "Appearance: Device Theme."
Within the "Appearance" menu, choose the "Dark Theme" option so as to enable the dark mode of the website.
YouTube will initiate the Ambient Mode automatically. To experience this feature, start playing any video on the website. As the video plays, you'll notice the unique lighting effect that envelops the video player, enhancing your viewing experience.
If you wish to disable the Ambient Mode while still maintaining the Dark Mode activation, click on the gear icon located in the bottom bar of the video player. Then, from the menu that appears, toggle off the option labeled "Ambient Mode."
Should you desire to deactivate the site's dark mode, locate and click on the profile icon or the three - dot menu in the top - right corner of the site. Subsequently, click on "Appearance: Dark" and opt for the "Light Theme" option.
And you're all ready.
