YouTube is updating its Shorts playback UI by removing the thumbs up and thumbs down icons and switching to a heart icon instead. The platform is also adding a Clear Screen option for uncluttered Shorts viewing.
First, YouTube is updating the way that users can respond a Short, swapping out the regular like and dislike icons for a single heart option instead.
So now, if a viewer likes a video, they can tap the heart icon in-stream, and if they don’t like it, they can go into their menu options and select from YouTube’s “Not Interested”, “Don’t recommend this channel” and “Report” options instead.
YouTube said this change will provide its systems with more granular feedback on viewer response. That kind of detailed information is not captured in the current binary like and dislike approach.
However, this also means a change in data for creators, with Shorts now losing the dislike data. YouTube said creators will still have access to historical dislike data for Shorts in YouTube Studio, but this count will stop updating for Shorts at the end of June. After that, creators will have to change their approach to performance tracking based on viewer response.
YouTube is also adding a new Clear Screen viewing option that will remove the control buttons overlaid on the window.
That means if a viewer wants to watch a Short without the various function and caption info overlaid on the clip, they’ll be able to select a “Clear Screen” option from the three dots menu within the Shorts player.
The update will give users more ways to control their Shorts experience, while also aligning Shorts playback with Reels and TikTok clips, which already facilitate this option.
YouTube is also rolling out a 2x playback option for Shorts, so viewers can get through content faster, if they choose.
As per YouTube: “To fast forward a Short, simply hold down the edge of the screen in the Shorts player and the video will start playing at 2x speed. To stop, just lift your finger. You can also lock the speed at 2x for the entire video by swiping down while pressing on the player.”
As noted, these changes bring Shorts more in line with Reels and TikTok UIs, which could be a beneficial move as far as leaning into habitual viewing behaviors. The more specific data could also help to improve recommendations and ensure a better user experience.
