YouTube Shorts Drops Dislikes and Adds Speed Controls

YouTube Shorts just got a major interface overhaul. The platform ditched the dislike button and replaced it with a heart icon. This change aims to clean up the user experience and refine feedback data.

The dislike count for Shorts will stop updating by the end of June 2026. However, dislikes remain active on long-form videos and live streams. YouTube insists the new approach leans on more precise controls like “Not Interested” and “Don’t recommend this channel” to fine-tune recommendations.

For viewers who select “Not Interested,” YouTube prompts them to share specific reasons. This provides the recommendation algorithm with granular feedback, replacing blunt dislike metrics. The YouTube team explained, “Instead, we’ll rely on our more precise controls … to more accurately tune your feed and serve up content you’ll love.”

Alongside this, YouTube added a playback speed feature. Users can now hold the screen’s edge during a Shorts video to activate 2x speed. Swiping down while holding the player locks the speed at double for the entire video. YouTube called this feature “the most requested” for Shorts.

To reduce clutter, YouTube introduced a “Clear Screen” mode. It temporarily hides all icons and text during playback. The company noted, “The interface can sometimes feel like ‘splotches on your windshield’ so you now have the option to turn it off completely in the three-dot settings menu.”

Since launching in 2024, Shorts has exploded in popularity. As of June 2025, it averaged 200 billion daily views. Users consume up to 2 billion hours of Shorts monthly. By June 2026, Shorts reached 2 billion hours of monthly viewing on TV screens alone.

These updates aim to create a more intuitive Shorts experience. Removing dislikes and adding nuanced feedback controls should sharpen content recommendations. The new playback options and clear screen mode cater to user demands for speed and simplicity.