YouTube is apparently experimenting with a new upload icon and icon location on mobile. The subtle changes will make it easier to upload videos on mobile devices, the company wrote on on its official YouTube support forums on Thursday. “We’re testing out a different spot and an updated look on the app for uploading videos. In our design studies, we found that creators think the current placement for creation is not intuitive. So we are testing a new placement of the icon with a small group of users”, the company said.
Those who are part of the experiment will find the new icon in the middle of the bottom bar with a universal “+” sign. The ‘Subscriptions’ feed for these users will move one spot to the right. The ‘Notifications’ will also move to the top navigation bar as part of the overall UI change. “Nothing is changing with the functionality of any of these icons/tabs”, the company asserted. The test is live for only a handful of users right now. However, Google says it will consider rolling it out more broadly based on feedback.
YouTube has been experimenting with a number of changes to the platform lately. One such change is a simplified menu for video quality settings on mobile. There’s also a filter for ‘Top Comments’ in YouTube Studio, enabling creators on the platform to better engage with their viewers. YouTube is also trying to improve the voice-search experience by testing a way to select a different language for voice search than what’s currently set in your app’s settings. The company also recently introduced its AI-based SmartReply functionality for YouTube Creators.
