The YouTube family of apps continue to have their own design language that’s distinct from Google services. YouTube is now rolling out a redesign of the video player across Android, iOS, web, and TV, as well as a handful of other “expressive and intuitive” updates.
The goal of this “updated video player” is to offer a “cleaner and more immersive” experience. Specifically, the goal is “obscuring less content.”
On televisions, video details move to the top-left corner. All other controls are placed below the progress bar, including a channel icon, Description, and Subscribe at the left. You now have a traditional play/pause button at the center, while Like, Dislike, Comments, and Save are now grouped into a pill. To the right is Captions and Settings.
On mobile (landscape), the updates are less drastic, with the biggest change being how most controls are now placed in a pill at the left.
YouTube has a new set of icons for common actions that are already live in YouTube Music. Speaking of likes, tapping that button on certain videos will result in a “custom, dynamic visual treatment based on the content you are viewing.” A music video will get an animated musical note, while it’s a “visual cue from the game” for sports content.
Meanwhile, double-tap to seek has been updated to “make it more modern and less intrusive to your video watching experience.”
YouTube also touts “Modern Video Saving” today so that “saving videos to your Watch Later list or adding them to playlists is now smoother and more visual.”
Comment threading introduces a structured system for replies. It should provide a “more focused reading experience within the replies panel.”
On mobile, there’s a “more seamless experience as you move between tabs with improved motion design.”
Overall, these updates aim to make YouTube “easier to navigate and more fun to interact with.” It is rolling out globally starting this week.
YouTube should feel as vibrant and dynamic as the creators and videos on it, so we’re aligning the energy of our content and the look of our interface to make your experience more enjoyable and engaging.
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