Joe Maring / Android Authority
Like many of you reading this, I use YouTube multiple times per day. And for the past week, anytime I’ve watched YouTube on my computer, I’ve been distracted by the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad new UI.
Last Tuesday, Google announced a series of significant visual changes for YouTube, the most prominent being a redesigned video player. Some people have had access to it for a couple of months, but it’s now officially available to the masses, and I’ve been living with it for a little over a week. And, simply put, I really don’t like it.
Is this new YouTube UI the end of the world? The biggest problem facing YouTube right now? Of course not. But it’s not a positive change, and so much of it has me scratching my head, trying to understand what Google was thinking.
Do you like the new YouTube UI? 27 votes Yes 26 % No 48 % I don't care 26 %
Everything wrong with the new YouTube UI
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Previously, YouTube’s video player displayed all playback controls under the progress bar, with no fancy styling — just a series of icons for play/pause, volume, video settings, etc. All of the controls are still under the progress bar, but they now have a fresh coat of paint that’s just … strange.
On the left side are still controls for play/pause, volume, and the timestamp. However, each one is now housed in its own bubble with larger, cartoony icons that take up more space than the old design. The controls on the right side are largely the same as before. There’s an autoplay toggle, closed captions, video playback settings, theater mode, and full-screen — all familiar stuff.
But here’s where the “mess” part of my headline becomes clear. While the buttons on the left are displayed as standalone icons, those on the right are grouped into a large cluster. Why not just choose one or the other?
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