YouTube Music Might Replace The Song/Video Switcher

After introducing in 2019, YouTube Music might replace the Song/Video switcher at the top of the Now Playing screen.

YTM originally introduced this capability to let Premium and Music Premium subscribers quickly watch a music video without pauses or interruptions. It speaks to the video nature of the main service. 

For several years now, this switcher has taken the form of a pill. YouTube Music for Android is now testing an alternate design that moves it to the carousel of actions. It’s unclear whether the playback position will be synced like before.  

“Video” (with an accompanying icon) appears after Thumbs Up/Down, Comments, and Save, with Share mostly likely being pushed off the screen like Download and Radio.

In making this change, YTM is not really doing anything with the freed-up space above. Cast looks a bit lonely, if not out of place, in the corner. 

This change comes as YouTube Music has not widely rolled out a Now Playing redesign that was first spotted in November. Playback controls appear first after the song name and artist. A redesigned timeline scrubber is next, while the carousel is the last row. In moving to the bottom, controls are closer to your thumb, thus aiding one-handed usability. Some people have had the latest Now Playing redesign for a few weeks, but it’s not yet widely rolled out.

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