YouTube TV is finally adding the previous channel shortcut I’ve always wanted

In recent years, we’ve witnessed a significant shift in the way we watch TV. As traditional cable TV services are gradually replaced by more flexible and modern solutions, YouTube TV has emerged as a frontrunner. My whole family is now on YouTube TV but I can remember loading it up for the first time with my brothers and them being blown away at the fact that we were streaming live sports so easily. But YouTube TV has been missing one button that many of us had grown accustomed to on cable TV remotes: the LAST button.

Remember watching two different shows or games on TV and using the LAST button to quickly switch between them when there was a commercial break? It was a helpful button and has been something that I’ve missed on YouTube TV. Although options like customizing the live channel guide order and the “Networks” section have been helpful, they haven’t completely solved the problem. Channel switching on YouTube TV has always been a tad cumbersome.

Thankfully though, YouTube TV is finally adding a shortcut that will allow users to easily switch back and forth between channels. First spotted on a YouTube TV subreddit (via 9to5Google), some YouTube TV users are seeing a pop-up message that instructs them on how they can flip back and forth between the last-viewed channels.

How does the YouTube TV channel switching feature work?

This new shortcut allows users to switch between their last-viewed channels with just the remote without needing to navigate the on-screen user interface. According to users who have had this shortcut show up already, a long press of the “OK” or “Select” button on their particular streaming device will switch between the current channel and the previously viewed one. This implementation is a simple integration of traditional TV remote functions into the streaming era and I love it. I recognize that there is no room for the LAST button on our modern, sleek streaming remotes but this new shortcut will certainly do the trick.

This shortcut is still in the process of being rolled out more broadly but some users on Google TV, Roku, and Apple TV users have it working. So, if you are a YouTube TV subscriber, keep an eye out for this new shortcut that is showing up just in time for holiday streaming and the NFL playoff just around the corner.