YouTube rolls out a new look for bottom bar icons
Last month, YouTube, the world's most popular video-sharing platform, announced that a range of new features and improvements would be coming to the app in the next few weeks. Some, like new playback speed controls, have already been rolled out. Now, there's another small update making its way to YouTube users.
A recent report reveals that updated bottom bar icons are now available to most YouTube users on both Android and iOS. While the layout of the navigation remains unchanged, four out of the five icons have received a refresh. Overall, the icons now feature thicker outlines compared to their previous versions.
As you can see from the screenshots, YouTube has made some tweaks to its bottom bar icons. The "plus" sign for creating content now sits in a gray circle without an outline. The subscriptions icon is more simplified, with a shallower design and rounder edges. The Home icon has also been refreshed, offering a clearer, more noticeable design. Meanwhile, the Shorts icon now sports thicker lines. The You tab remains unchanged.
In other YouTube news, the app is testing some bigger changes that might not be everyone's cup of tea, myself included. For instance, it's working on a TikTok-like swipe-up gesture to skip to the next video. The app is also experimenting with AI-generated music remixes, which I think could be hit or miss. However, on the brighter side, YouTube decided to roll back the controversial PiP mini-player update, bringing back the old one that users preferred.
The bottom bar before (left) and after the update (right). | Image credit – PhoneArena
The updated bottom bar is now rolling out with version 19.45 of YouTube for Android, and it's also available on iOS and the web. While this change might fly under the radar for many since it's not a major update, I think the new look makes the bottom bar feel a bit more polished compared to its previous design.
In other YouTube news, the app is testing some bigger changes that might not be everyone's cup of tea, myself included. For instance, it's working on a TikTok-like swipe-up gesture to skip to the next video. The app is also experimenting with AI-generated music remixes, which I think could be hit or miss. However, on the brighter side, YouTube decided to roll back the controversial PiP mini-player update, bringing back the old one that users preferred.
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