YouTube has announced several key changes to its juggernaut Shorts platform, including the removal of dislikes, a clear screen mode, and double-speed playback.
Now, as Engadget noted, dislikes going away on Shorts is nothing new, as the platform started hiding dislike counts years ago. But now the button is gone entirely. Instead, YouTube will rely on “more precise” controls, such as the ‘Not Interested’ and ‘Don’t recommend this channel’ buttons, to change what shows up in your feed.
The team also said in the blog post that it has replaced the like button with a heart to provide “a more meaningful way” to interact with content – a similar system to what Instagram Reels currently uses.
Similarly to that, there is a new Clear Screen mode- which is a nod to TikTok‘s clear screen mode. YouTube noted that the interface can feel like “splotches on your windshield,” so there’s now an option to remove it in the three-dot settings menu.
The platform also changed how you mute videos on Shorts, in case you ever need to turn your volume off on short notice (we’ve all been there). Basically, you have to tap to pause the video, and then tap the mute button that appears.
Also, similar to Instagram Reels and TikTok, YouTube now lets you play Shorts at double speed simply by tapping and holding the screen. Like most 2x speed features, this one works by swiping down while holding the screen; it locks the video at 2x speed.
The new settings are rolling out in most regions; however, they may be staggered. Similarly to Engadget’s Steve Dent, I have the 2x speed feature, but my dislike button is indeed gone.
