What you need to know
- YouTube Music is likely to see some redesign for its Now Playing screen.
- The music streaming service could shift the popular audio/video switcher from top to bottom right below the playback controls.
- The redesign could include the rearrangement of playback controls and other “like,” “comments, ” and “save” buttons.
YouTube Music has many convenient features. The music streaming service blends seamlessly with its sibling YouTube with a tap on the single interchangeable button right above the album cover on the Now Playing screen. New evidence, however, indicates that the feature is likely shifting.
As spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube Music might soon replace the audio/video switcher with a new native button right above the “Up next”, “Lyrics”, and “Related” tabs. The new “video” button will sit right alongside the other popular like/dislike, comments, and save buttons. For the uninitiated, the music streaming service introduced the feature in 2019, which lets users switch between song and corresponding video without pausing the playback.
The latest shifting of the switcher icon makes the Now Playing screen top pane settle with just the cast icon. Also, the new change appears to be part of a redesign spotted back in November 2024. It makes the aforementioned like, comments, and save buttons next to the new video button appear right below the playback controls as opposed to the current scenario where those buttons stay on top of the playback controls.
The redesign rollout still needs to be determined even though it was spotted more than a couple of months ago. Some of the YouTube Music users on Reddit have also noticed the changes. Per the post’s opinions received, users feel the pill-shaped audio/video switcher up top appears more pronounced — although having it right below the controls is handy to reach.
Some other users also point out that having the cast button positioned below the playback controls is more handy than the audio/video switcher. Since the music streaming service appears to be testing the redesign, it could be further changed by the final official rollout.
In other news, YouTube has recently rolled out experimental features for its premium tier users. The notable ones amongst them include the ability to watch a YouTube video at 4x speed. Then there’s another nifty feature dubbed Jump Ahead, which should help users jump to their favorite content even faster.