Youku’s iOS App Hits 7.9 Million Downloads, Allows Users to Upload Videos In-App

Youku (NYSE:YOKU) has released a major update for its iPhone and iPad app. One of the main features within this update is a sexy radial button which is built to make the screen less cluttered and at the same time offer full control of – and accessibility to – video content. Users can swipe horizontally and vertically to browse content across different genres.

One more neat update is that the app now supports Youku Paike, a feature that allows user to record a video and upload it quickly to Youku from their phones. Other minor additions include the Soku search engine, and also Sina Weibo integration for easy video-sharing to the microblog service.

The radial button on iPhone looks innovative but I did find it a little hard to access at first. There’s a small button located in the bottom of the page which may require some practice before you can actually press it correctly at first touch. The radial button has two layers of access features: the first offers search and account details, while the second gives access to different types of content quickly. It does help users to find videos more easily but it takes some time to remember what the icons represent.

Youku explains that this updated version is the product of understanding what users wanted in the previous version. I remember not liking the previous version so I guess this should be a better user experience. The Chinese online video company also revealed that its iPhone and iPad apps have been downloaded 6.2 million and 1.7 million times respectively as of September 24, 2011. Plus, Youku software clients and widgets were pre-installed on approximately 22.9 million mobile phones in China.

You can head over here and here to download either the updated iPad or iPhone app.