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YouTube Shorts player adding Clear Screen mode & 2x playback, removes dislike

YouTube today announced a number of updates to the Shorts player meant to “create a more intuitive Shorts experience.”

The first update to the YouTube Shorts player is a “Clear Screen” mode that “temporarily hides all icons and text from your playback view.” The goal is to provide an “immersive, distraction-free view of the content.” Check the overflow menu in the top-right corner for this new view.

On the controls front, you can now double the playback speed, which is “one of the most requested features from the Shorts community.” You can also easily mute by “tapping the screen to pause, then tapping the mute icon to silence the audio.”

As previously spotted, YouTube Shorts has replaced thumbs up with a heart icon. This is meant to be a “more meaningful way to express when a video truly connects with you.”

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As part of this, YouTube Shorts is “retiring” or replacing the dislike button with “Don’t recommend this channel” and “Not Interested” in the overflow menu. The aim is to provide precise controls that “more accurately tune your feed”, with the latter letting you select Irrelevant, Boring, and other options.

These options give you more control over what you see and allow us to better understand your genuine preferences, especially since you’ve shown us that “disliking” a video could mean anything from “poor audio quality” to simply “not my cup of tea.” 

These updates to the YouTube Shorts player are rolling out starting today.

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com