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Yes, YouTube Music really did move the Like and Dislike controls—but the June 5, 2025 report described a test, not one permanent layout. In that experiment, the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons left the horizontal action row and appeared as separate circular controls beside the song title and artist. A broader redesign reported later in 2025 reorganized the entire Now Playing screen and placed Like and Dislike back in the compact action carousel, where they may appear alongside Comments, Save, Lyrics, Share, Download, and Radio.
As of April 14, 2026, the split-view Now Playing design was described as widely rolling out on Android and iOS. However, the exact interface can still differ by account, region, device, platform, and rollout group.
The short answer: the buttons were tested in one place and rolled out in another
If you opened YouTube Music and could no longer find the familiar thumbs icons, you were likely seeing one of several Now Playing layouts rather than a missing feature.
The timeline matters:
- June 5, 2025: a reported A/B test moved Like and Dislike out of the action carousel and placed them beside the track information as separate circular buttons. The arrangement was still changing and had not broadly rolled out.
- September 11, 2025: a broader Now Playing redesign placed thumbs up and thumbs down at the beginning of a compact action carousel, followed by controls such as Comments and Save.
- April 14, 2026: the split-view version of the redesigned player was described as widely rolling out on Android and iOS.
So the accurate conclusion is not that YouTube permanently moved the buttons beside the song title. YouTube Music has repeatedly rearranged the player, and different users may still see different versions.
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The original June 2025 report identified the thumbs-up/down relocation as an ongoing experiment. The later redesign report documented a much broader change to the player.
What changed in the June 2025 test?
Before the test, Like and Dislike were part of YouTube Music’s horizontal actions carousel. In the reported variant, those controls became two standalone circular buttons positioned beside the song title and artist.
The test also rearranged other parts of the screen. Playback controls moved beneath the track information, while the action carousel could give more space to features such as Comments, Save, Video, Share, Download, and Radio.
That arrangement had an obvious advantage: rating a song could become faster because the feedback controls were visible near the metadata. The trade-off was that the title area could look more crowded and asymmetrical. That criticism was an observation about the design, not a measured usability result.
Because the change was an A/B test, users could gain or lose it without installing a different app version. That intermittent behavior is consistent with a server-side experiment.
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What changed in the broader Now Playing redesign?
The later design was not simply the June test made permanent. It reorganized the player as a whole.
- The Song/Video switcher moved away from its former position above the artwork.
- The main playback controls moved higher in the interface, below the song title and artist.
- The progress bar became thicker and more rectangular, with its appearance changing during interaction.
- The action controls were condensed into a more compact horizontal carousel.
- Like and Dislike appeared among the first actions in that carousel.
- Lyrics became part of the player controls rather than using the previous bottom-tab arrangement.
- A new Up Next drag handle exposed upcoming songs through a dual-pane presentation.
- Related content and Lyrics could be expanded, and similar design changes were applied to podcast playback.
Cast remained near the overflow menu. The exact number of visible actions depends on the available screen width, so an icon that appears immediately on one phone may require a horizontal swipe on another.
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Where to find Like and Dislike now
- Start playing a song, video, or podcast in YouTube Music.
- Open the full Now Playing screen by expanding the player.
- Look beneath the track information and progress controls for the horizontal action carousel.
- Find the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon among the first actions.
- If it is not visible, swipe the carousel horizontally to reveal more controls.
If you have the earlier test variant, the buttons may instead appear as separate circular icons beside the song title and artist. If neither icon appears, check whether the content is made for kids: YouTube Music’s official help documentation says Like and Dislike are unavailable for made-for-kids songs or videos.
What Like and Dislike actually do
These buttons are more than cosmetic controls.
According to YouTube Music’s official help page, liking a song adds it to the Liked Music playlist. Liked songs and albums also appear in the user’s library, and likes influence recommendations and stations.
Disliking a track is primarily recommendation feedback. It helps customize the listening experience, but it should not be treated as a universal delete command.
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There is also an important distinction between unliking and removing a song. Unliking a track does not automatically remove it from your library. If you want to delete a saved item from the library, use the library’s separate Remove from library command.
Why does the interface keep changing?
The available evidence points to an attempt to fit more functions into a small mobile player while separating primary playback from secondary actions.
Playback, rating, saving, comments, lyrics, sharing, downloading, and queue management all compete for limited screen space. Moving playback controls into their own area and placing other functions in a swipeable row lets YouTube Music change what is immediately visible without removing the features altogether.
That approach also explains the confusion. A/B testing and staged server-side rollouts mean two people using the same app on the same day may not see identical controls. The redesign may also be adjusted between test phases rather than progressing in a straight line from one fixed layout to another.
Earlier changes should not be confused with the 2025 redesign. In 2022, YouTube temporarily placed Dislike inside the overflow menu. In 2023, a carousel containing Like, Dislike, Comments, Save, Share, Download, and Radio became part of the player. The 2025 test and later rollout were further revisions of that evolving interface.
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What to do if you still see the old layout
First, update YouTube Music through the App Store or Google Play. Then close the app completely and reopen it.
On Android, you can also try:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps and select YouTube Music.
- Tap Force stop.
- Relaunch YouTube Music and open Now Playing again.
On either platform, removing the app from the recent-apps view and reopening it may refresh the session. These steps are possible refresh measures, not guaranteed installation methods. The September 2025 redesign was reported as server-side, so updating or force-stopping the app cannot guarantee that Google has enabled a particular layout for your account.
If the old interface remains, the most likely explanation is staged availability rather than a broken installation. Google’s official YouTube Music documentation also warns that product experiences can differ by country or region.
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The broader redesign was reported for both Android and iOS, but it should not be assumed to be identical on every phone, tablet, browser, or region. Screen size can change how many carousel buttons are visible, and account-side rollout groups can affect the overall layout.
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Podcast playback was included in the broader redesign, although podcast actions are not necessarily identical to music actions. The Song/Video switcher also changed position, so screenshots of the player should be interpreted in the context of the mode and layout being shown.
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There is no documented setting that universally restores the old Now Playing interface. A YouTube Music Premium subscription likewise does not guarantee access to an older design or change the server-side rollout. Premium affects playback benefits—not the basic location of the controls.
Premium does not fix the redesign
YouTube Music remains usable without a paid membership, with an ad-supported experience that includes features such as on-demand playback, queuing, repeat, unlimited skips, Samples, and Music Tuner, subject to Google’s current availability rules.
YouTube Music Premium adds benefits including ad-free listening, background playback, audio-only playback, offline downloads, and music or podcast playback while using other apps. YouTube Premium includes YouTube Music Premium and is the more suitable bundle for people who also regularly watch standard YouTube without ads.
Neither subscription is a solution for a moved thumbs-up button. Choose a subscription for its playback benefits, not as a way to restore the old Now Playing screen.
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