YouTube has just launched a new feature and users are hating it.

The Google platform has been testing new features for months to keep up with short content-based platforms like TikTok.

Now, when users open up the app, YouTube skips the homepage feed and instantly plays a video in full screen.

But the intrusive part of this feature seems to have struck a nerve in the YouTube community.

Reddit threads in the YouTube community are full of complaints, with users saying the app’s reliance on the feature ruins their experience.

One user has called it ‘the most annoying feature I’ve ever seen.’ They wrote: “When I open the app I want to see my feed and select a video to watch, not just have the first video be forced into full screen.”

What’s more frustrating is that there doesn’t seem to be a fix for it.

According to users’ reports, logging out of the app, clearing data or even deleting the app altogether doesn’t seem to stop the autoplay. Additionally, the complaints are saying it doesn’t make much sense to open the app on your phone and have a random video start playing.

Some are even threatening to cancel their Premium if they continue to have no control over the feature. They replied: “Worst experience ever… If this is a mandatory feature and cant be disabled, I will cancel my Premium.”

In response to the original post, one person suspects it could be ‘a glitch with specific devices.’ Meanwhile, others think YouTube is experimenting with the feature on a select group of users. But looking at the abundance of complaints, the number of people affected is pretty large.

Users are trying to find a way to disable the feature

On another Reddit thread, one user complained: “I’ve suddenly had this start as well. Extremely annoying” while someone else added: “My sibling in suffering! This has been happening to me too, and it’s driving me insane. I HATE it.”

One user reportedly got a reply from YouTube’s support account saying: “I’ve reviewed my resources, and yes, this is an experimental feature. Feel free to share your feedback via our feedback tool: yt.be/help/feedback.”

While not all users are seeing the change, the number of complaints keeps growing.

It is unclear about what’s happening with the mobile app especially with no clear announcement from YouTube officials.

For now, it’s a case of waiting to see what happens and whether YouTube will listen to the feedback from its community.

YouTube reportedly testing new homepage layout branded major ‘downgrade’ by users

YouTube is trialling out a new homepage and a lot of people aren’t happy about it.

The Google-owned platform’s algorithm is known for prioritising popular, up-to-date content.

But now, it seems that YouTube is experimenting with a design that removes the upload date and view count from video previews.

YouTube removed dislikes back in 2021 to reduce targeted negativity on videos, which in itself resulted in a lot of backlash from its users.

And it wasn’t until users found a browser extension that allowed them to restore it.

On October 28, VidIQ reported in a post on X that YouTube is testing a new homepage layout that removes view counts and dates.

In the screenshot, you can see six videos that only display the thumbnail, title and channel name.

🚨BREAKING🚨

YouTube is testing a homepage without view counts and dates. pic.twitter.com/UQEobxSVaR

— vidIQ (@vidIQ) October 28, 2024

Whereas, usually you could see the view count and how long ago the video was uploaded before you clicked on a video.

Shortly after the tweet was posted, hundreds of users retreated to the comments to share their thoughts about the potential upcoming change.

“View counts I kinda get but dates? having a more recent video on a topic is really important a lot of the time,” one user questioned on X.

“You know this isn’t what people call “improvement” it’s basically downgrading it to the point of what the hell is going on,” another X user pointed out.

“View counts and dates matter in selecting between videos on the same topic. I get from a product perspective what they’re trying to do, but this isn’t better for viewers or creators,” someone else added.

Tech YouTuber Marques ‘MKBHD’ Brownlee also chimed in in response to the news, saying: “Stop chasing Netflix and just be YouTube”.

Over on Reddit, similar discussions and comments were happening.

“Why would I ever want less information on what I’m about to watch?” one user remarked.

YouTube recently announced it’s looking into a more affordable version of Premium, with ‘less ads’

However, not everyone on the post is against the removal of dates and views. Some users have suggested that the change will make ‘a HUGE difference’ for smaller channels ‘with good titles and thumbnails’ that would usually be overlooked.

“Pretty big for smaller channels tbh. Might push me to check out some other channels,” another comment read.

This announcement follows YouTube’s recent report of a cheaper Premium plan for users who want fewer ads without the full Premium price tag.

With the cost of the ad-free Premium experience set to increase by up to 50% in some areas starting in November, the video content platform revealed it’s testing a more affordable option, according to Android Authority.