YouTube Shorts replaces ‘dislike’ button

As part of a new experiment, YouTube is testing a new Shorts interface that replaces the ‘Dislike’ (thumbs down) button with ‘save’.

According to a recent report by Android Authority, the Google owned video sharing platform, users who are part of the limited test will no longer see the “Dislike” button but will instead see the ‘Save’ feature, according to Indian Express.

Unlike the YouTube Premium experimental features, which require users to opt-in, the update is being rolled out randomly. If you are affected by the change and want to dislike Shorts, the option can be accessed by tapping on the three dot menu from the top right of the screen.

To save YouTube Shorts, press on the Save button that appears either below the like button or from the three dot menu and YouTube will ask you if you want to save it to an existing playlist or make a new one.

While it makes it easier to save Shorts, many users will most likely scroll to the next Shorts without disliking it. The change may be good news for Creators, but the downside is that low quality Shorts might appear higher on your feed.

However, the YouTube Shorts UI change is still being tested, so it is still unclear if Google will push the change to everyone or roll it back.
YouTube Shorts is the short-form section of the American online video-sharing platform YouTube. Shorts focuses on vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds of duration and various features for user interaction.

As of May 2024, Shorts have collectively earned over 5 trillion views since the platform was made available to the general public on July 13, 2021, including views that pre-date the YouTube Shorts feature.