The new changes to the YouTube app are rolling out to both iOS and Android users
YouTube’s side navigation menu has also been eliminated
Photo Credit: YouTube
As announced in October, YouTube has started rolling out a redesigned mobile app for both iOS and Android users. The app redesign centres around promoting YouTube Shorts and focussing on creation. As part of this big move, YouTube has removed the usual Subscriptions tab from the bottom navigation bar of its mobile app. Instead of the 5-button bottom navigation menu we now have a 4-button one which has the home, Shorts, create and Profile buttons. YouTube will also let users create a custom feed from the main screen.
The new redesign basically moves the Subscriptions tab in a new sub menu on the top of the home page called ‘Subs'. This new menu at the top now shows Home, Subs, Music, Live and More tabs. Tapping on 'More' gets you access to Movies & TV, Charts Gaming and the rest (including Memberships). The tricky bit about reaching your Subscriptions section is that the new home page hides the new top navigation bar about two seconds after launching the YouTube app. Users will need to drag down on the feed below to make the top navigation bar appear, and then tap on ‘Subs' to check out what's new with their subscribed channels.
Users will soon be able to add custom feeds to the new top navigation bar
Photo Credit: YouTube
The focus on Shorts is quite noticeable after the redesign with a majority of the home page being taken up by YouTube Shorts. There is a three dot menu at the top near the new top navigation bar with the option to “Show fewer Shorts”. Tapping on it shows a message “Got it, we'll show you fewer Shorts on Home” with an ‘Undo' next to it, in case you change your mind.
The new ‘Subs' tab continues to have a familiar layout. What was announced earlier and has yet to show up is the new custom feeds feature. It appears as a “+” sign to the left of the new top navigation bar. Custom feeds will basically let users generate custom made recommendation pages. Users can do this by typing in what they feel using natural language. This can include topics, channels, video styles and more.
A detail to keep in mind is that YouTube sets a limit of three active custom feeds in the new top navigation bar for free users. Premium users can add up to eight custom feeds. Custom feeds should start appearing internationally in the future and may not be available to all markets currently.
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