YouTube changes its logo for the first time

San Francisco: Google-owned YouTube has refreshed its iconic logo and introduced some major design changes to its desktop and mobile apps.

Unlike minor tweaks, this is the biggest change the YouTube logo has received over the years.

The logo ditches the red colour inside the "Tube" part of the name and places the now familiar play icon to the left side of the YouTube name, said a report in Android Authority on Wednesday. 

Google says the change allows the YouTube logo to work better "across a variety of devices, even on smallest of screens".

According to reports, the service is also getting a new typeface, colour scheme and several major changes to the look, feel and functionality of its desktop and mobile app.

Earlier this year, YouTube had made a major change to its desktop website which delivered a cleaner interface and new features such as a "dark mode" for night-time viewing.

According to a new report, Google and Facebook rule the app ecosystem in the United States. 

"Google-owned YouTube took the second spot overall with 71 per cent app audience penetration and Google`s Search app took fourth place with 61 per cent," the report says.