IP Library › Granted Patent US 12666111

Granted Patent B2

US 12666111 · App. 18/791,287 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

User interfaces and associated systems and processes for controlling playback of content

Inventors: Jeff Tan-Ang (San Jose, CA); Christopher J. Ellingford (Alameda, CA); Christopher J. Sanders (San Jose, CA); Dila Sart (San Jose, CA); Justin K. Arnold (San Jose, CA); Justin D Gaussoin (Newport Coast, CA); Kevin M. Sandlow (Los Angeles, CA); Lucio Moreno Rufo (San Jose, CA); Neil P. Cormican (Menlo Park, CA); Policarpo B. Wood (San Jose, CA); Yonghyun A. Kim (San Francisco, CA)

Assignee: Apple Inc.

H04N21/47217 H04N21/2187 H04N21/4316 H04N21/4622 H04N21/482 H04N21/8133

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12666111
App. No.: 18/791,287
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

In some embodiments, an electronic device presents a user interface for controlling the playback of content items. In some embodiments, the user interface includes a plurality of selectable options for controlling playback of a respective content item overlaid on the content item. In some embodiments, an electronic device presents a user interface for browsing and switching between content items available for playback.

Claims (216)

1 . A method comprising:

at an electronic device in communication with a display generation component and one or more input devices:

while presenting a content item of a respective content type, receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input; and

in response to receiving the input, concurrently displaying:

in accordance with a determination that the respective content type is a first content type:

one or more first playback control elements corresponding to the first content type; and

a first option corresponding to first content corresponding to the first content type; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective content type is a second content type, different from the first content type:

one or more second playback control elements corresponding to the second content type, and different from the one or more first playback control elements; and

a second option corresponding to second content, different from the first content, corresponding to the second content type.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

in accordance with the determination that the respective content type is the first content type, the first content corresponding to the first content type includes second content items in a playback queue associated with a user of the electronic device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to receiving the input, concurrently displaying a third option corresponding to information about the content item.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

while displaying the third option corresponding to the information about the content item, receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input directed to the third option; and

in response to receiving the input directed to the third option, concurrently displaying, with the one or more first playback control elements or the one or more second playback control elements, a fourth option that is selectable to play the content item from a beginning of the content item, and a fifth option that is selectable to display a user interface associated with the content item that includes additional information associated with the content item.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the content item is a first episode in a series of episodic content, and in accordance with the determination that the respective content type is the first content type, the first content corresponding to the first content type includes second content items that are episodes in the series of episodic content, including a second episode, different from the first episode, in the series of episodic content.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the respective content type is the first content type, the method further comprising:

while displaying the first option, receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input directed to the first option; and

in response to receiving the input directed to the first option, concurrently displaying, with the one or more first playback control elements:

representations of the second content items that are episodes in the series of episodic content, wherein a first representation of a first respective second content item to which current focus of the electronic device is not directed is displayed without an indication of information associated with the first respective second content item, and a second representation of a second respective second content item to which current focus of the electronic device is directed is displayed with an indication of information associated with the second respective second content item.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective content type is live content, the method further comprising:

while presenting the content item:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input corresponding to a request to rewind the content item by a respective amount; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the request to rewind the content:

in accordance with a determination that the respective amount is less than a threshold, rewinding the content by the respective amount; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective amount is greater than the threshold, forgoing rewinding the content by the respective amount.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first content type is live content, and the one or more first playback control elements include:

a scrubber bar including a first region corresponding to earlier playback positions in the content item to which rewinding is not available, a second region corresponding to earlier playback positions in the content item to which rewinding is available, and a third region corresponding to future playback positions of the content item.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to the input, displaying:

in accordance with a determination that the respective content type is live content, in accordance with a determination that skipping a playback position within the content item is not available:

a scrubber bar including a first region corresponding to playback positions of the content item before a current playback position of the content item, and a second region corresponding to playback positions of the content item after the current playback position of the content item, wherein the first region of the scrubber bar and the second region of the scrubber bar are displayed with a same visual style.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

while displaying a respective playback control element corresponding to the respective content item:

in accordance with a determination that a friend of a user of the electronic device has consumed a portion of the content item, the respective playback control element includes a first visual indication of a current playback position of the content item associated with the portion of the content item consumed by the friend, including a graphical representation of the friend.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

while displaying the respective playback control element including the first visual indication of the current playback position of the content item associated with the friend, including the graphical representation of the friend, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a sequence of one or more inputs directed to the respective playback control element, including an input directed to the first visual indication of the current playback position of the content item associated with the portion of the content item consumed by the friend; and

in response to receiving the sequence of one or more inputs:

ceasing display of the first visual indication of the current playback position of the content item associated with the portion of the content item consumed by the friend, including the graphical representation of the friend; and

displaying, in association with the respective playback control element, a second visual indication of the current playback position of the content item associated with the portion of the content item consumed by the friend without including the graphical representation of the friend.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

while displaying the respective playback control element including the first visual indication of the current playback position of the content item associated with the portion of the content item consumed by the friend, receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input directed to the first visual indication of the current playback position of the content item associated with the portion of the content item consumed by the friend; and

in response to receiving the input directed to the first visual indication:

displaying, in association with the respective playback control element, a visual indication of a name of the friend.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

while presenting the content item without displaying one or more respective control elements corresponding to the respective content type:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input corresponding to a request to update a current playback position in the content item by a predetermined amount; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the request to update the current playback position in the content item by the predetermined amount:

updating the current playback position in the content item by the predetermined amount; and

displaying a respective control element corresponding to the respective content type without displaying a respective option corresponding to respective content corresponding to the respective content type.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

while displaying one or more playback control elements corresponding to the respective content type:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input directed to a first playback control element corresponding to the respective content type;

in response to receiving the input directed to the first playback control element corresponding to the respective content type:

displaying, proximate to the first playback control element, a thumbnail corresponding to a respective portion of the content item in accordance with the input; and

after a predetermined time has passed since initiating display of the thumbnail:

in accordance with a determination that the thumbnail is displayed overlaid on a second playback control element of the one or more playback control elements corresponding to the respective content type, ceasing display of the thumbnail; and

in accordance with a determination that the thumbnail is not displayed overlaid on the second playback control element, maintaining display of the thumbnail.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to receiving the input, displaying one or more respective playback control elements corresponding to the respective content type, wherein:

the one or more respective playback control elements include a scrubber bar, and

a current focus of the electronic device is initially directed to the scrubber bar in response to receiving the input.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to receiving the input, displaying one or more options corresponding to respective content corresponding to the respective content type, wherein:

in accordance with a determination that the one or more options is one option, the option is displayed with a first visual characteristic; and

in accordance with the determination that the one or more options are a plurality of options, the plurality of options are displayed with a second visual characteristic different from the first visual characteristic.

17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

while displaying one or more respective playback control elements corresponding to the respective content type:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input corresponding to a request to perform an action with respect to the content item; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the request to perform the action with respect to the content item:

in accordance with a determination that the action is not available:

forgoing performing the action; and

concurrently displaying, with the one or more respective playback control elements corresponding to the respective content type, a message that the action is not available.

18 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to receiving the input, displaying one or more respective options corresponding to respective content corresponding to the respective content type, wherein:

in accordance with a determination that a source of the content item is a first source, the one or more respective options are one or more first respective options, and

in accordance with a determination that the source of the content item is a second source, the one or more respective options are one or more second respective options.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein:

in accordance with the determination that the respective content type is the first content type, the one or more respective options include an information option associated with information about the content item, an episodes option associated with episodes of a same episodic content series associated with the content item, and a playback queue option associated with a plurality of third content items in a playback queue of a user of the electronic device.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein:

in accordance with the determination that the respective content type is the second content type, the one or more respective options include an information option associated with information about the content item, an episodes option associated with chapters of the content item, and an up next queue option associated with a plurality of third content items in a playback queue.

21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the one or more respective options associated with the respective content are displayed in a first region of a user interface including the content item, and

one or more respective options not associated with respective content are not displayed in the first region of the user interface.

22 . An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:

while presenting a content item of a respective content type, receiving, via one or more input devices, an input; and