YouTube Shorts gets a full-screen mode and a host of new features

YouTube has announced a host of new features for Shorts that will roll out over the coming days and weeks. Leading the update is a new distraction-free viewing mode that expands videos to fill the entire screen.

It’s called Clear Screen mode and enabling it will temporarily hide all on-screen text, buttons, and other UI elements for a distraction-free viewing experience.

YouTube Shorts is also gaining a new 2x playback option, allowing users to watch videos at twice the speed.

To make interactions feel more personal, YouTube is replacing the thumbs-up button with a heart…