Google-owned video platform YouTube appears to be testing yet another major interface tweak regarding its controversial dislike button. Multiple users across social media platforms including X and Reddit have shared screenshots showing the dislike button removed from its traditional spot next to the like button. Instead, early testers noticed the functionality tucked away inside the secondary three-dots options menu.
While YouTube has not yet issued a formal statement explaining the ongoing experiment, changing the physical placement of the button drastically alters user interaction. Relocating the feature to a secondary submenu requires multiple taps or clicks to access, which would naturally cause overall engagement metrics for dislikes to plummet. This UI approach mirrors previous design decisions deployed on YouTube Shorts, where the dislike action was similarly pushed into the drop-down menu.
The platform has a history of experimenting with how viewers interact with negative feedback. Back in 2021, YouTube removed public dislike counters from the site entirely, citing creator protection and the mitigation of coordinated harassment campaigns. Although content creators maintain access to their specific analytics behind the scenes, public visibility remains restricted. It remains unclear how broad this current testing phase is or if the platform plans a permanent rollout across the entire ecosystem.
Comments