YouTube has announced that it is testing UI improvements for Shorts. The updated interface makes it easier for users to bookmark Shorts that they would like to save or watch later. For this, YouTube has added a "Save" button to the Shorts user interface, though it has replaced a key button important to many.
Specifically, the streaming platform has replaced the "Dislike" button with the "Save" button. This means that users can no longer dislike videos to let YouTube"s algorithm know that they are not to their taste.
YouTube is currently testing this new Shorts interface with a limited set of users before a potential global release. Those who have received the change will no longer find the "Dislike" button on the player"s main interface. In a statement, YouTube said:
To make it easier to bookmark Shorts that you love, want to return to, or want to watch later, we’re experimenting with a “Save” button in the Shorts player. If you’re a viewer in the test group, you’ll see the "Save" icon which you can use to save Shorts to a new or existing playlist. To make room for the Save button, we moved our Shorts player menu around.
The new YouTube Shorts interface buries the "Dislike" button inside the player"s three-dot menu. The worst part is that unlike the opt-in experimental features available for YouTube Premium users, the new YouTube Shorts interface seems to apply to random users.
Notably, this change will encourage users to add more videos to their playlists. Since the Shorts videos come and go in a flash, having the "Save" button right there in the interface would help. When tapping the "Save" button, the platform offers the option to save the video to a new or existing YouTube playlist.
Earlier, it was also reported that YouTube was testing long-form video recommendations to the Shorts feed, allegedly to give them more reach.