YouTube Shorts is receiving a redesigned player that removes some of the interface elements that can distract from the video. A new Clear Screen option lets viewers temporarily hide captions, buttons, usernames and other on-screen controls so the video fills the display.
Similar viewing modes are already available on other short-form video platforms. The goal is to make it easier to focus on the content itself.
Dislike button removed from Shorts
One of the biggest changes is the removal of the dislike button from the Shorts player. Instead, YouTube is encouraging viewers to use menu options such as “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend this channel” to give more specific feedback about content they don’t want to see.
The platform says these options send clearer signals to its recommendation system. A dislike can mean different things, from poor production quality to simply not matching a viewer’s interests. Existing dislike data will remain available to creators in YouTube Studio, but new dislike counts for Shorts will no longer be collected.
Additional playback updates
YouTube is rolling several quality-of-life improvements into the Shorts player as well. Viewers can now speed a Short up to 2x playback by pressing and holding either side of the screen, with the option to lock the faster speed for continued viewing. A new mute button silences Shorts directly from the player, so there’s no need to adjust the device’s volume.
The update also replaces the traditional thumbs-up icon with a heart, though the functionality remains the same.
More changes to the platform
Over the past few months, YouTube has introduced tools that let viewers set daily time limits for Shorts and remove them from the home feed. Content discovery got a boost through new recommendation and search features. The platform has continued expanding creation tools too, including AI-powered editing features and longer Shorts uploads.