Overview
- YouTube moved the Subscriptions control out of the bottom navigation into a top tab row that appears only briefly on app launch, making subscriptions harder to find and reach.
- The bottom bar now centers Home, a prominent Shorts button, an Upload button, and profile access, replacing the decade-old five-button layout many users relied on.
- Familiar category filters such as Unwatched, Today, and Live were removed and replaced by a recommendation-heavy Home feed with large interaction icons.
- Users on Reddit and in reports say the redesign has caused confusion and usability problems, including accidentally opening the camera when trying to access subscriptions.
- The change follows YouTube’s earlier Custom Feeds update and reflects a broader platform tilt toward short-form, algorithm-driven viewing that could alter how creators and regular viewers use the app.