YouTube Premium subscribers can now test the new desktop redesign and give feedback

Ben Schoon | Jun 7 2024 - 8:17 pm PT

Over the past month or so, YouTube has been testing a new desktop design that most users don’t seem to like. Now, YouTube is giving its Premium subscribers a chance to test the redesign themselves.

Available through YouTube Premium’s experimental features page, subscribers can opt into the new “Redesigned Watch Page.”

This new redesign first appeared in April and was met with immediate negative feedback from users who unexpectedly started testing it. The redesign was largely reverted within a couple of weeks, but started rolling out again in late May and has continued to show up for users in the time since.

YouTube Premium subscribers can now opt into the redesign, with a prompt appearing on the YouTube homepage as our Jordan Floyd noticed today. The prompt asks users to “share feedback” on the redesign.

As mentioned, public feedback from those testing the redesign has been overwhelmingly negative. In a description of the redesign, YouTube pitches the “improved viewing experience” that “makes it easier to find related content.” and “enhances” access to comments.

YouTube explains:

Discover an improved viewing experience on YouTube with our redesigned desktop watch page.

How to use: Open YouTube in your web browser. You’ll discover a new way to watch videos that not only makes it easier to find related content but also enhances your ability to engage with comments.

Enabling the experiment on your account immediately brings the redesign to your web experience. Once enabled, a “Feedback” button appears with a 9-question feedback form.

The experiment runs through July 1 and replaces “Jump ahead” which was in testing through until June 1 in available experiments. The AI-generated “Ask questions” experiment is also still ongoing.