YouTube has quietly updated its app for smart TVs, which adds a Shorts feed on top of your subscriptions. It is part of some of the new changes that the company announced in late April. YouTube has put a heavy emphasis on Shorts over the past couple of years. It includes a dedicated experience inside the TV app, and the new update reflects it.
YouTube app for TV now shows a Shorts feed in your subscriptions tab
If you are not a fan of Shorts, then you may not like the new changes, as there’s now a Shorts row in the Watch Next feed and a Shorts Shelf on your subscription tab. The new feed shows up at the top of the subscription pages at all times. YouTube TV app refreshes the Shorts content as it becomes available.
As expected, the new update shows Shorts only from the channels you subscribe to. YouTube has started rolling out the new change widely in a gradual manner. 9to5Google first spotted the new Shorts experience on a Google TV device last week.
Furthermore, several Reddit users have confirmed the presence of the new Shorts feed across other devices, including Apple TV and other TV platforms.
Users can’t dismiss the change or move the feed
It appears that having the Shorts feed in the YouTube app for TV devices isn’t a cup of tea for all users. Many people on Reddit and other platforms have posted that the change is frustrating. Users can’t dismiss the new UI change or move the feed. It is frustrating for users who prefer long-form content on their TVs, despite the new feed showing content from subscribed channels.
Furthermore, this new dedicated feed for short videos takes up over half of the available space on the screen. It blocks video titles and obscures half of the thumbnail of the longer videos.
There’s a possibility that YouTube might make the new change optional through an update after considering negative user feedback; only time will tell.
