Damien Wilde / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The “Like” and “Dislike” buttons on YouTube for Android TV and Google TV have been combined into a single button.
- If you click the new button, it will bring up a mini pop-up menu for liking or disliking.
- The redesign adds one more step you need to follow to like or dislike a video.
Google likes to occasionally fiddle around with the layout of YouTube, often to the chagrin of its users. For example, back in April, the company tested out a new UI design that relocated the video title, description, and comments to the right-side panel. The change was widely panned at the time. Now the company is trying out a new tweak that will probably also end up being controversial.
According to 9to5Google, a change to the “Like” and “Dislike” buttons on YouTube for Android TV and Google TV has rolled out. Previously, there were dedicated buttons for Like and Dislike above the playback progress scrubber. These buttons existed alongside other buttons like Captions, Live Chat, Save, and more. You can see an example of how that layout looked in the left image below.
In the right image above, you’ll see the new redesign. The Like and Dislike buttons have now merged into a single dual-purpose button. If you click on the new button, it will bring up a mini pop-up where you can choose to like or dislike the video. It’s unclear when this change was made, but the outlet says it appears to have rolled out in the last 24-48 hours.
On one side, merging the Like and Dislike buttons does allow for other buttons to take up that space. At the same time, however, it’s less convenient as it adds an additional step to liking or disliking a video.
In related news, YouTube has expanded its auto-dubbing feature to more creators. This should make content more inclusive and accessible to global audiences.
