YouTube is getting a modern makeover with a new UI rolling out now

Get ready for a big visual change on your favorite video platform. Starting this week, Google is rolling out a refresh to the YouTube experience, designed to be “cleaner, more immersive, and more fun to interact with.” The update includes a few big changes to the video player and to the comments section.

The centerpiece of this update, coming to mobile, web, and TV, is the redesigned video player, for sure. It features updated controls with rounded, translucent buttons that Google says should be more visually satisfying while obscuring less of the actual video. The double-tap-to-skip feature has also been updated to be more modern and less intrusive.

Google is also moving key interaction buttons (like, dislike, share, save) directly onto the video player itself, making it possible to engage with a video without ever having to exit the full-screen experience or scroll away from the content. It’s a clever design choice that reduces friction and is clearly aimed at boosting user interaction—a key metric for the platform.

The updates also bring a long-overdue functional upgrade with a new structured system for comment replies. This threading makes it much easier to follow conversations within the replies panel. Google is also adding a bit of fun with dynamic “like” button animations on select videos, like an animated musical note for music content. The process for saving videos to playlists is also getting a smoother, more visual refresh.

According to YouTube, all of these updates will begin rolling out globally this week, so you should start seeing the fresh new look on your devices very soon. Let me know in the comments below what you think about the redesign. Do you love it, hate it, or think it looks basically the same?