YouTube's new mobile player UI test reveals changes inspired by the smart TV app

Key Takeaways

• YouTube for Android is testing a major UI redesign to resemble a smart TV interface.
• Changes include new location for play/pause, like/dislike, share buttons, and video details.
• The redesign has left users polarized, altering muscle memory necessary for using the app efficiently.

YouTube has found its place in the heart of millions as one of the best streaming apps on Android, despite the incessant ads and ongoing war against ad blockers to keep monetization alive. While the user interface for mobile and the web has not changed drastically in the last five years, several small improvements have surfaced. Now, YouTube seems to be testing a major UI redesign for the Android app and the result closely resembles the current smart TV UI in many ways.

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YouTube for Android isn't very personalizable, but the interface feels familiar and all the required controls are laid out intuitively. However, the video player UI is different from the one optimized for large-screen devices like smart TVs. Writing for Android Authority, veteran tipster Mishaal Rahman reports that Google is A/B testing a new design for the mobile player which resembles the one on your smart TV, and several testers have been rather vocal about their displeasure.

When a video is playing, testers are noticing the title is now shown just above the progress bar, followed by the view count and publish date. The channel name now appears above the video title, accompanied by the subscriber count. For videos that aren't a part of a playlist, the paused fullscreen UI doesn't have buttons to go to the previous/next video, but they reappear when you turn the device to the portrait orientation.

Current UI for a video (left); New player UI (right)

The play/pause controls are now in the lower left corner of the fullscreen UI and all the other controls that lived there, such as Like, Dislike, Comment, Save to Playlist, and Share are now in a row above the progress bar. In their new spot, the buttons are accompanied by the count of likes, etc. but the dislike counter hasn't returned. Rahman also notes the expand button now lives in the upper left corner, beside the screen rotate option and its old spot has been taken by a second playlist button. The Remix button now shows up by default and the option to bookmark a video is tucked under the menu. Lastly, the video chapters are available beside the play/pause button in the bottom left corner.

Current UI for a playlist video (left); New playlist player UI (right)

For videos that are a part of playlists, swiping up and down on the player UI moves between videos of the playlist, and as a result, the swipe-down-to-minimize gesture only works if you're on the first video of a playlist, or viewing content that isn't in a playlist at all.

The A/B test has left users polarized

The list of changes is long, almost qualifying as a complete redesign, but perhaps since we have seen this version on smart TVs, it doesn't feel completely alien on mobile. However, it is a stark departure from the status quo, and several users will need to rewire their muscle memory to use the app efficiently again.

This test has been ongoing for several weeks now and it could be the new standard, but we still aren't sure why a UI optimized for large screens would also work on conventional smartphones.