Shortly after the TikTok ban in India, we’ve not only seen a flood of homegrown clones but popular apps, such as Instagram and YouTube have also tried to step in and fill the void. If you haven’t been living under a rock, you would know that ‘YouTube Shorts,’ a short videos creation feature, launched in India earlier last month.
YouTube Shorts lets you create videos up to 15-seconds in length. These short videos are known to appear between traditional long-form content on the platform. You can access them both on the home screen and suggestions under a video. But, YouTube is now looking to allow users to access ‘Shorts’ via a dedicated button at the top.
First spotted by Devinder on our team, the YouTube app on iOS now includes a new ‘Shorts’ button next to your personalized topic suggestions. It is not a creation tool but instead, this button will let you view YouTube Shorts from the get-go. Just tap the button and a short video will start playing right away. You can swipe up to browse between Shorts, along with the ability to like and comment under each Short.
The dedicated Shorts button also seems to have appeared for select users on Android, as per Twitter user Ashish Nasa. This move is similar to Instagram’s, which recently added a Reels icon to the navigation bar. YouTube is looking to force interaction and increase viewership by showing users a bright red Shorts icon whenever they open the app.
YouTube has surely moved things around in its app over the past few weeks. The video upload button has been moved to the bottom navigation bar, while the notification and subscription box is now accessible via the bell icon at the top right, at least on Android. Will this minor change help YouTube Shorts gain popularity? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
