YouTube Music pushes split-view Now Playing redesign to more users
After months of testing, YouTube Music’s refreshed player is now rolling out widely with easier queue access and reorganised controls.
YouTube Music is once again updating its Now Playing screen, with a redesigned split-view interface now reaching more users. After months of testing and gradual tweaks, the feature is becoming widely available across Android and iOS.
The update builds on earlier redesigns rather than replacing them. When we last reported on redesigns, we questioned whether YouTube may have finalised the screen… evidently not. Over the past year, YouTube Music has been experimenting with a dual-pane layout that blends playback controls with queue management. This latest rollout refines that idea further, making it more prominent and easier to access during everyday listening.
According to 9to5Google, one of the first changes users will notice is at the top of the screen. The Song and Video switcher has been simplified with icons instead of text. This makes it quicker to understand and keeps the interface looking clean. The album artwork has also been slightly enlarged, giving it more visual focus while a track is playing.
The playback controls themselves remain in a familiar position, so the redesign still feels familiar to existing users. Rather than adding a completely new scrubber, this rollout keeps the thicker progress bar introduced in earlier updates. It becomes thicker again when users tap or scrub through a track, making playback adjustments easier to follow.
One of the biggest changes is lower down the screen. Dedicated tabs for Lyrics and Related content have now been removed from the bottom section. Instead, YouTube Music has given that space to the Up Next queue. This means listeners can see upcoming tracks more easily without leaving the main player.
Users can swipe upwards anywhere on the player, including near the top of the screen, to reveal the queue in a split-view layout. Swipe up again, and the previous full-screen queue returns. This keeps both options available, depending on how much information users want to see at once.
Lyrics haven’t disappeared entirely. They now appear in the action carousel beside the thumbs up and thumbs down controls. Related music has also moved, opening when users tap the song title and right-facing chevron. Rather than removing features, YouTube Music appears to be reorganising them (again).
The rollout is now said to be widely available on Android version 9.14 and iOS version 9.15. 9to5Google notes that this is a server-side release, meaning some users may need to dismiss the queue or force close the app before the new design appears.
For artists and listeners alike, updates like this matter. A smoother playback screen can shape how people discover tracks, watch videos, and move through playlists. As streaming platforms continue refining their apps, visibility and accessibility remain important for every release.