YouTube Music refines its Now Playing design after months of testing
Could a finalised design of the Now Playing screen be settled on at last for YouTube Music?
YouTube Music continues to fine-tune its Now Playing screen on mobile, with a refreshed redesign now appearing for more users towards the end of 2025. After rolling out a major dual-pane update in September, this latest version doesn’t overhaul everything again, but instead builds on that foundation with smarter layout choices and visual polish. The changes have been spotted on both Android and iOS following long-running A/B testing, according to 9to5Google.
Back in September, YouTube Music introduced a dual-pane layout that combined playback controls and queue management on the same screen. That update also moved several buttons into a carousel, reshuffled engagement icons, and added a draggable “Up Next” handle that revealed your queue in a larger panel.
The latest redesign keeps that overall structure but adjusts how some features are accessed. One of the clearest changes is the return of a more visible Song / Video switcher. In the September version, this switcher lived inside the action carousel. Now, it uses clearer icons and is easier to spot, making it more obvious when you want to jump between audio and music video playback.
The playback scrubber has also been subtly updated again. September’s redesign introduced a thicker bar that became bolder when dragged. The newer version keeps this behaviour but rounds the bar and removes the traditional playhead dot. When scrubbing through a track, the line thickens to show movement, which helps keep the screen clean while still feeling responsive. 9to5Google notes that this brings YouTube Music closer in style to the main YouTube app.
They finally nailed it
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Another noticeable change affects how Lyrics and Related content are accessed. In September, both sections were still available as expandable panels that could take over the screen, with a simplified design that removed heavy colour themes. In the newer layout, Google has removed the dedicated bottom tabs altogether. Lyrics now sit inside the carousel, while Related tracks open when you tap the song title. This reduces the number of permanent buttons on screen and keeps focus on playback.
The Up Next experience remains largely the same as September’s rollout. You can still pull up the queue using the drag handle to reveal upcoming tracks in a dual-pane view. When this panel is open, the action carousel disappears, giving more space to browsing what’s coming next. This behaviour was first introduced earlier in 2025 and is still central to the Now Playing experience.
Overall, this latest redesign feels less like a new direction and more like YouTube Music settling on a final version after months of experimentation. The layout is cleaner, controls are easier to understand at a glance, and familiar features haven’t been removed – just repositioned. As 9to5Google notes, the update is still rolling out gradually, so not everyone will see it at the same time. But it’s clear that YouTube Music is aiming for a consistent, modern playback screen that works equally well for songs, videos, and podcasts.