YouTube Music rolls out dual-pane Now Playing redesign on Android, iOS

After testing first got underway in November, YouTube Music is now rolling out a big Now Playing redesign on Android and iOS.

The Song/Video switcher is no longer at the top of Now Playing, but Cast remains next to the three-dot overflow menu. 

After the song name (which can be tapped to access Related) and artist, you now get the controls row. This does not really impact one-handed usage, but it does move things further up the screen.

This is followed by a new boxy scrubber that gets rid of the playhead and becomes thicker when you interact with it. 

Old vs. new

All other controls appear in a carousel that is more compact. After thumbs up/down, comments, and Save, you get Lyrics, with YouTube Music eliminating the bottom row of tabs. The Video/Song switcher is next, with Share, Download, and Radio rounding things out. 

There’s a new drag handle for the new “Up Next” section that immediately lists what playlist or radio you’re on. You can also tap instead of sliding up, with a new dual-pane view that’s pretty nice and efficient.

The actions carousel disappears in this view and you get to see four or so songs, with this queue expandable. This view is not persistent and closes when you exit Now Playing. 

The Related and Lyrics sheets (which are no longer themed) can be fully expanded, but they otherwise show the song you’re currently listening to and play/pause in the top row.

Podcast controls get the same treatment.

This YouTube Music Now Playing redesign is rolling out with a server-side update. If you’re not seeing it yet, Force stop from App info or remove from the multitasking menu.

More on YouTube Music:

• YouTube Music redesign moves Search to the bottom bar
• YouTube Music getting more obvious shuffle and repeat buttons
• YouTube Music rolls out lyrics sharing on Android and iOS

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