YouTube Music rolling out Cast menu redesign on Android with no stop button

Abner Li | Apr 29 2024 - 3:25 pm PT

After testing earlier this year, YouTube Music for Android is widely rolling out a sheet-based Cast menu redesign.

Previously, tapping the button would open a “Cast to” box at the center of your screen. You then get another UI with full cover art once a session is initiated.

This new Cast UI slides up a sheet, which isn’t edge-to-edge, with rounded corners. There’s a “Suggested” section up top, while “Other devices” appear below. Once something is “Playing,” you get a much smaller preview. The selected device appears next with a volume slider, while you now continue to see a list of available devices near you.

Old vs. new

There is no longer a “Stop Casting” button. Curiously, the replacement is tapping “This phone” with playback continuing — if it’s not paused — on your mobile device as the Casted session ends. It does make for a more seamless playback experience, but stopping audio entirely from within YouTube Music is now a two-stage process. The fastest alternative is the Android media switcher or the Google Home app.

The play/pause button has also been removed so you have to leverage Now Playing or system controls.

This Cast UI was already live on iOS and the redesign is now widely rolling out on YouTube Music for Android (version 6.49) via a server-side update. Force stop the app to see the menu revamp if you don’t have it yet.