Google gives its employees (Googlers) the opportunity to spend 20 percent of their time working on side projects – some of which like Gmail and Google Maps have become some of the company’s core applications. The latest 20 percent project to go live is an app called Uptime which lets you use the app’s odd user interface to watch YouTube videos with friends. Strangely, though, it is only available for iPhone and not Android…

Last year, Google launched Area 120, an internal incubator to help employees build businesses around their 20 percent projects. Uptime is one of the first applications to be released through this incubator.

Uptime introduces a new and unique user interface that allows you to watch YouTube videos as well as share the experience with your friends all in real-time. Simply search for a video, click play, and share it out with your followers. You can then use the unique video timeline that outlines the interface to see where people are while watching the shared clip.

Additionally, while watching a video, users can share emojis and text each other. All of this comes together to create what is supposed to be a fun way to enjoy and interact with others while watching YouTube videos.

Below is Uptime’s description from iTunes:

Uptime is a place to share and watch videos together with friends. Easily share your favorite YouTube video and bring friends together to watch, chat, and have fun. Watch videos together with friends.

Interact and chat while watching videos.

Share and curate your favorite YouTube videos.

Get daily video recommendations from friends and people you follow.

Now we don’t know if the creators of Uptime plan to ever bring the application to Android or not. We also don’t know if Google might be interested in one day incorporating this type of social viewing into the company’s main YouTube application. Time will only tell.

If you do own an iPhone, you can download Uptime from the iTunes for free. As of right now, the application is only available in the US and it requires an invitation code, but PIZZA should get you in.

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