YouTube is no stranger to redesigns, but the next one could throw your muscle memory for a loop. The mobile app might be getting an all-new layout that removes the Subscriptions tab from the navigation bar, and I can’t say I’m a fan.
Earlier this evening, I launched YouTube to discover a refreshed UI that relocated the Subscriptions bar from its usual spot in the bottom navigation bar up to a new secondary menu below the app’s logo. In addition to the typical list of home page filters like “Music” and “New to You,” you’ll also find another “Home” tab — in addition to the one in the bottom navigation bar — alongside the missing Subscriptions button. Tapping Subscriptions loaded the typical list of your followed content, albeit now without its own dedicated space.
YouTube confirms this is one of its latest experiments.
If you are part of this experiment, you might notice a few placement changes to your Home and Subscriptions feeds. Specifically, we’re testing a shift in the placement of the Subscriptions feed, moving it from the bottom navigation bar to the top of your screen as part of a new, swipeable Subscriptions and Home feed tab experience…
On its face, I think this is a pretty awful change, relocating the tab I know I use the most within YouTube to a space that is harder to reach on today’s modern ultra-tall smartphones. Making matters worse, though, is how little it would actually add to the experience. The Plus icon that you probably typically avoid would gain its own spot with a “Create” label — which does seem to suggest some sort of AI-based creation tools, rather than just the TikTok-esque camera shortcut that exists today — and that’s it. There’s no actual benefit to the end-user in exchange for what is, I’d argue, a pretty big shift in priorities for the app.
Here’s the good news: I don’t think this is rolling out in the immediate future, at least based on YouTube’s official comments. Although I cycled through several accounts (both Premium and non-Premium) to see if the UI would stick, it was only once I returned to my main profile that the app started acting wonky. Initially, the new Home-hybrid-Subscriptions selector disappeared, leaving me without an option to access my Subscriptions at all. Closing and reopening the app restored the current widely available UI, and I haven’t been able to restore the new look since.
That said, it’s Google I/O eve, so my gut feeling that this isn’t launching any time soon could be proven wrong in embarrassing fashion with a single onstage mention tomorrow, even with its early test announcement – though that feels unlikely given how focused I/O is on Gemini and AI as of late.
If you’re a Subscriptions-first user like me, keep your fingers crossed that this doesn’t become the default anytime soon. If you do happen to be a part of this test group, make your feedback loud and clear – leave a comment below, too, and let us know if you’re seeing this.
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