YouTube's Like Button Is Being Replaced With A Heart, But Not Everywhere

The like button across most apps and platforms is synonymous with a heart. Instagram, X, and TikTok all feature hearts, and now, so does YouTube — well, kind of. As part of a limited test, and gradually rolling out to users, the ever-present thumbs-up like button has been replaced by a heart on YouTube Shorts. While that may not seem like much of a big deal, the change is also accompanied by the removal of the dislike button in some cases. In 2021, YouTube announced that the dislike counter would be going away, but said at the time that the associated button would remain. The UI update being tested now removes it entirely for some users.

Judging by reports, YouTube has been testing the change for about a month. But a spate of recent updates from Reddit users indicates that it's happening much more widely now, as more people are encountering it. Though the change does make YouTube Shorts function more like other social media platforms across its Android, iOS, and web apps, there's been no official announcement on the matter. The new like button is not mentioned in the YouTube forum thread where the company shares updates on its latest test features and experiments, nor does it appear on the YouTube Labs page where Premium users can opt in to try new features as they're being developed (one of many YouTube Premium features you could be using).

On the positive side, the contextual animations that play when you tap or interact with YouTube's like button have become more whimsical and fun, in line with Google's Material 3 Expressive design movement in recent months. You might see the button transform into various icons like a dog paw, light bulb, or unique shapes. Like the other changes, this has been happening for some time for a select few users, but is now more common to encounter.

Even with more users reporting the new like button behavior recently, BGR was unable to reproduce it across multiple YouTube accounts. Our tests spanned Premium and free memberships, and we checked various platforms and devices, including Android, iOS, and the web, yet only found the usual thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons.

Since YouTube has not announced the change, it remains unclear whether this is still a limited test or the early stages of a phased rollout. YouTube may be simply trying out the new design, slowly opening access to more people to gauge interest and sentiment, rather than intending to roll out the new icons permanently. Either way, our testing suggests the new UI has not reached one of its broader rollout stages yet.

As of right now, there are no reports of anyone encountering these changes with regular YouTube videos on mobile or desktop. The new like button seems to only be appearing on YouTube Shorts, the bite-sized, social-like videos you can watch in quick snippets. YouTube killed off Stories in lieu of Shorts back in 2023. The new format is built from the ground up for mobile experiences and the vertical (portrait) orientation. YouTube has been slowly integrating that new format into other platforms — your Google TV is about to look very different, for instance, because it's getting "snackable" videos, or Shorts, on the home screen.