YouTube introduces new option to hide distracting end screen pop-ups
Users can now opt out of having video recommendation pop-ups obscure the end of the video they are watching.
YouTube has introduced a new feature that gives viewers more control over how they watch videos. As reported by TechCrunch, the platform now allows users to hide the pop-up recommendations that usually appear during the end screen of a video.
When watching, a new “Hide” button will appear in the top-right corner of the player. Tapping it will remove the end screen overlays from that particular video. If you change your mind, you can bring them back using the “Show” button. Importantly, this setting only applies to the video you’re currently watching, not the entire platform.
TechCrunch also reports that YouTube is removing the Subscribe button that appeared when hovering over a channel’s branded watermark, noting that it is no longer necessary since there is already a Subscribe button beneath the video player.
The changes are part of YouTube’s response to user feedback. Many viewers had expressed a desire to reduce distractions and focus more easily on the content they are watching. It can be pretty frustrating if specific points of interest at the end of a video you’ve been watching get covered up by recommendations. Many users likely aren’t interested just yet about what to watch next, they’re just trying to finish watching the current video.
For creators, the ability to add end screens remains unchanged. YouTube’s testing suggests these updates will have minimal effect on overall performance. Giving viewers the option to hide end screens led to a “less than 1.5% decrease in views from end screens,” while less than 0.05% of all channel subscriptions came from the hover-to-subscribe watermark.
These updates are small but meaningful improvements. They make the viewing experience less cluttered without removing tools for creators, allowing audiences to enjoy videos more clearly.