Another day, another YouTube UI tweak. The streaming giant is no stranger when it comes to radical changes that sometimes improve the overall YouTube experience, but more often than not, they leave users confused.
For reference, just yesterday, the streaming giant was spotted testing a change that’ll be annoying for all non-Premium users if it rolls out widely. The change makes it significantly harder to skip ads, with the skip button only appearing after an ad has finished playing. Now, building on top of one annoying change, it looks like YouTube might be experimenting with hiding vital channel and comment section information.
The new UI tweak, which seems to be limited to the YouTube mobile app, essentially hides a video’s comment section and the uploader’s channel information behind a single dropdown arrow.
First spotted and tipped by a reader to the folks over at Android Authority, the change does make the overall YouTube UI a lot more cleaner, which is sure to appeal to those who prefer an overall minimalist look.
On the other hand, for someone that frequently checks and interacts with comments on videos, the UI change adds an annoying extra step to their workflow. Additionally, it’s not just the comments; the UI change also obscures other good-to-know information like the channel’s name, its logo/profile image, subscriber count, and more, as seen in the screenshots below.
Not widely out just yet
For what it’s worth, the UI change isn’t widely out just yet. I don’t have it on either Android or iOS, and the same goes for others at Android Police. There only seems to be one other report about the UI being spotted out in the wild, as highlighted by Reddit user No-Revenue3327.
The change could be part of a very limited test. Alternatively, it could be an intended change that’s gradually rolling out. Are you seeing the new YouTube UI on Android or iOS? Share your screenshots in the comment section below.
