• Source:JND
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After over a decade, YouTube has officially retired its classic video player UI, rolling out a completely redesigned video player interface aimed at modernising the viewing experience. However, the update hasn’t been well received by many users, who are voicing strong criticism across social media and forums. Complaints range from cluttered controls and awkward button placement to the overall look and feel, which some say sacrifices usability for style. While YouTube claims the new design offers better accessibility and improved performance, long-time viewers are finding it difficult to adjust, with many calling for the return of the old interface. As YouTube continues to evolve, it now faces the challenge of balancing innovation with user comfort—and this latest change isn’t winning everyone over.

YouTube just celebrated a major milestone – its first ever video is 20 years old! To mark the occasion, Google is giving its web video player a fresh new look. But, as you can probably guess, users aren't exactly thrilled about the change.

The New YouTube UI

A user on Reddit shared a screenshot of the YouTube video player new UI from the website. Not everyone has received the same UI, but it must be the phased rollout, and soon you might receive it. Below are the screenshots shared by the user– @NoSpHieL on Reddit.

My 2nd channel got a new UI but my main one doesn't
byu/NoSpHieL inyoutube

Aligned with the design system, the new UI makes each major action a button. The major actions in order of prominence are Podium Play/Pause, Next, Video Timestamp, and Video Chapters, each in their own pills/capsules. The volume button is being moved to the other side, sharing its capsule with the rest of the action buttons.

In the video window, the black gradient fade layer at the bottom edge is replaced by buttons. The opaque buttons improve the tutorial’s legibility and provide a cleaner view of the entire video, which is visually appealing.  

This Reddit user enjoys the new UI along with some others, but many people are very critical of it. Some users are disproportionately annoyed by the audio slider. Without having seen it in its expanded state in the new UI, it appears that one can no longer hover over the scrollbar and use the volume slider, the scroll wheel or even the up/down keys; if accurate, this would be a major loss in functionality.