YouTube Tests a Dedicated Shorts Tab in Bottom Navigation Bar
May. 4, 2021Following in thefootsteps of Instagram,YouTube is testing the possibility of replacing the Explore tab with a dedicated Shorts tabin the app’s bottom navigation bar. Anmol from our team spotted the test on his phone, running YouTube beta version 16.17.36. After a quick Twitter search, we noticed that YouTube started testing this change on both Androidand iOSearlier last week.
To put things in perspective, here is a comparison between the current YouTube app’s home page and the upcoming redesign that should probably roll out soon. As seen in the image below, theExplore section is given less prominencein the test version. YouTube has shifted the Explore section to the top-left corner of the app, right where Shorts currently exists.Current YouTube Home (left) vs New YouTube Design Test (right)
YouTube’s decision to move the Shorts tab to the bottom navigation bar doesn’t come as a surprise, considering how much momentumshort video apps like TikTokhave gained lately. However, what I don’t like about the new implementation is that the Shorts section continues to show up on the home page despite having a dedicated tab in the navbar. The idea of pushing Shorts through YouTube’s home page even after giving it a prominent spot in the YouTube app feels like the company is trying too hard, at least in my opinion.
As of writing this article, YouTube has not widely rolled out the new Shorts tab just yet. However, we could expect it to happen over the coming weeks. If you’re a creator, now will be a great time to go through our list ofYouTube Shorts tipsto leverage the upcoming boost in user activity and engagement.
Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.
