YouTube removes dedicated ‘Subscriptions’ tab from mobile app in new test
Source: 9to5Google
What’s changing?
YouTube is testing a new mobile layout that removes the Subscriptions tab from the bottom navigation bar. Instead, the Subscriptions option appears in a secondary menu below the app’s logo, alongside the usual home‑page filters such as “Music” and “New to You.” A second “Home” tab also appears in this menu, while the original bottom‑navigation Home tab remains.
Tapping the relocated Subscriptions entry still opens the familiar list of channels you follow, but it no longer has its own dedicated space in the navigation bar.
YouTube confirms this is part of an ongoing experiment.
Details of the experiment
- The Subscriptions feed is being shifted from the bottom navigation bar to the top of the screen, creating a swipeable Subscriptions + Home tab experience.
- The “Create” button (formerly a plus icon) gains a label and appears to hint at AI‑powered creation tools, as described in the YouTube blog post about the new AI remix tool for Shorts: Reimagine: New AI‑powered remix tool for YouTube Shorts.
- No other functional benefits have been announced for users.
Early impressions
The change feels cumbersome on modern ultra‑tall smartphones, moving a frequently used tab to a harder‑to‑reach area. In testing:
- The new Home‑Subscriptions selector sometimes disappeared entirely, leaving no way to access Subscriptions.
- Closing and reopening the app restored the standard UI, and the experimental layout could not be re‑enabled.
Outlook
The rollout does not appear imminent. The author observed the UI only on a single account and could not reproduce it consistently. However, with Google I/O approaching, there is a slim chance the feature could be announced publicly, though recent I/O focus has been on Gemini and AI.
If you belong to the test group, consider providing feedback to YouTube.
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