YouTube's latest test is a nightmare for your muscle memory

A social media feed can completely shape how you use an app, and YouTube knows that better than most. Just recently, the platform started letting users hide Shorts from the Home feed entirely. It is a deceptively useful change if you are tired of opening the app for one video and somehow resurfacing 40 minutes later in an endless scroll loop.

Now, YouTube appears to be experimenting with another major tweak to its app’s organization. In a new post on Google’s community support forums, a company employee confirmed that YouTube is testing a redesigned mobile feed navigation system to make it easier and faster to reach different content sections.

At the moment, Subscriptions lives in YouTube’s bottom navigation bar. Getting there requires an extra tap, which may not sound like much, but on an app people open dozens of times a day, even small bits of friction add up. YouTube’s test appears to remove that extra step entirely by shifting feed categories to the top of the screen and making them swipeable.

If that sounds familiar, it is because it resembles the layout used by apps like X, where “For You” and “Following” feeds sit side by side and can be switched with a quick swipe. YouTube seems to be chasing the same fluid experience rather than forcing users to bounce between tabs via the bottom bar.

The company is also experimenting with moving sections like Movies and TV into this new top navigation area, potentially creating a more centralized hub for paid and personalized content. Meanwhile, the Explore menu may appear only when users pull down to refresh the feed or scroll up the screen.

At first glance, this might seem like a slight interface tweak, but changes like these can completely reshape how an app feels during everyday use. Feed placement matters more than companies like admitting because whatever sits front and center inevitably becomes what people use most.

Moving Subscriptions to a more accessible spot could probably encourage users to spend more time with creators they actually follow, rather than endlessly bouncing through algorithmic recommendations. In my case, I’d rather YouTube stick with the familiar layout because familiarity matters a lot to me.

For now, YouTube says the redesigned feed experience is only being tested with a limited group of Android and iPhone users. The company will likely use that feedback to decide whether the new navigation makes the app easier to use or just adds another layer of confusion. If the test goes well, though, there is a good chance this swipe-heavy layout could become the future of YouTube’s mobile app.