This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.
YouTube is testing a new UI for its Home and Subscription feeds in its mobile app, in an effort to improve accessibility and make it easier for users to find the most relevant content.
The live test, which is only available to some users, will switch the placement of the feeds within the app. YouTube is hoping this will offer a more intuitive way to access content.
As explained by YouTube: “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. We may also test moving other content feeds, like Movies & TV, to this top navigation area to help you access your paid content in one place.”
The idea is that this will streamline the process for switching between each listing, and will therefore allow users to access each feed in a more direct manner.
YouTube added that within this new layout, the Explore menu will become visible by pulling the screen to refresh or by scrolling up.
It could be an interesting experiment, though it might also be frustrating to find that YouTube has switched things up, because it might mess with habitual behaviors. But YouTube seems confident this will lead to an improved user experience, and more engagement within each content feed.
YouTube said it’s currently testing these updated access options with a small percentage of viewers on Android and iOS globally. The platform plans to make a decision on an expanded launch based on the results of this testing.
