YouTube replaces the ‘like’ button with a heart in Shorts for some with ‘dislike’ removed

Ben Schoon | Jun 9 2026 - 8:15 am PT

Years after removing “dislike” button counts, YouTube is testing another change to its feedback system with a heart now replacing the “like” button, and “dislike” disappearing entirely for some.

Rolling out now in what appears to be a limited test on YouTube Shorts, Google is replacing the typical thumbs up “like” button with a heart. That’s more in line with other short-form video platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, but goes against literal decades of YouTube history.

The change has been noted by a considerable number of users over the past day or two, including 9to5Google readers (thanks Andrew!) and several Reddit threads we found on the topic, with the change occuring across Android, iOS, and web apps, showing up a month ago for some users, but more widely today.

In most cases, this appears to be a simple icon and animation replacement. The thumbs up icon previously used for “like” on YouTube Shorts is just swapped out for a heart icon and animation. But, for some users, the change in icon is also accompanied by the removal of the “dislike” button, which simply vanishes from the UI.

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As some have pointed out, the combination of the heart button and the “dislike” button is a pretty odd look, so it may be that Google is looking at removing that button entirely. Still, it’s a huge shift in how the platform has handled video feedback – and many still haven’t forgiven YouTube for removing “dislike” counts.

This test is not mentioned on YouTube’s “test features and experiments” page.

We’re not yet seeing this on our own devices, nor have we found any reports of this change outside of YouTube Shorts. For now, standard YouTube videos appear to be sticking with the standard “like” button. That said, it does seem that YouTube’s contextual “like” button animations are rolling out more widely, with the button transforming into other icons such as a dog paw, cat, wheel, light bulb, and a wide variety of other animations when pressed depending on the topic of the video. This has been showing up for a few months, but seems to be rolling out more widely right now.