Android mobile app. The option is appearing even on devices that do not 4K content. The capability was rolled out to YouTube's iOS app late last year.
LG was the first company to release a 4K UHD (3840x2160) TV back in 2012, but its price was well out of the reach of the average viewer and there was minimal content available for it anyway. Gradually, though, more 4K TVs and displays were produced with prices falling accordingly and 4K began to be added to various streaming services. Amazon and Netflix, for example, added 4K to their streaming services in 2014. YouTube actually added for 4K in 2010, although it wasn't listed in the quality options on desktop until 2013. Until last year, though, its 4K content was only viewable on 4K TVs and computer displays. After all, smartphones with 4K displays have only been being popularized in the last few years, with Sony having only launched the first in 2017.
Spotted by Reddit videos shot in high dynamic range. Although only s with devices that 4K content can take full advantage of the new option, s with lower-resolution devices can choose to watch the 4K content and will benefit from improved sharpness.
How To Use 4K On YouTube For Android
Choosing to watch a video in 4K on Android is the same as choosing to do so at other video quality levels, such as 1080p or 720p. There are a couple of things to note, though. Firstly, it is less likely that videos will be available in 4K because most video is not yet shot in 4K, although more and more is. Secondly, s will need a fast enough internet connection — 4K videos are much bigger than standard HD videos and so take longer to .
With all that in mind, all s need to do is pull up the YouTube for Android app and navigate to a 4K video like this one. Once the video loads, tap the ellipsis menu in the top right corner. This will pull up a number of options and selecting the 'Quality' option will allow s to select the 2160p60 or 2160p HDR settings, as well as a host of others. On desktop, the option remains selectable via the setting cogwheel.
Sources: Reddit/u/Liskowskyy, XDA Developers