YouTube Shorts is helping users finetune their recommendations
A small test on YouTube Shorts’ Dislike button could make it clearer how viewers shape their recommendations.
YouTube is experimenting with how users interact with Shorts through a subtle change to the Dislike button. The platform has confirmed it’s testing a new location and functionality for the Dislike button in Shorts, with the aim of making it easier for people to better influence what they don’t want to see in their feed.
What’s actually changing?
The test focuses on both the functionality and wording of the Dislike button. Traditionally, Shorts have shown a thumbs-up icon next to a thumbs-down option. Now, YouTube is trailing a few different approaches.
For some users, the Dislike button will be more hidden. This means it will only be accessible by clicking on the three dots in the top-right corner of a Short and found within the overflow menu that pops up. Meanwhile, the Like button will remain front and centre.
Another shift comes in the form of its rephrasing. YouTube says viewers often treat “Dislike” and “Not interested” as the same thing. To address that, some users will now see the two options merged. In practice, this means a thumbs-down icon may appear labelled as either “”Dislike” or “Not interested” behind the three dot menu location. Either way, this essentially lets you easily tell the algorithm that this type of content isn’t for you.
YouTube is also collecting feedback too. Anyone included in the test may be prompted with an optional survey after tapping the thumbs-down icon, giving the platform more insight into how people interpret and use the feature.
A win for Shorts users
By simplifying what the “Dislike” button truly means, YouTube hopes it will empower users to more actively fine-tune their Shorts feed instead of endlessly scrolling past content they don’t enjoy. For viewers, this could mean recommendations that feel more tailored to you, with fewer irrelevant videos, less generalized posts, and a feed that better reflects your actual interests.
While this change doesn’t drastically reshape Shorts overnight, it shows that YouTube is continuing to refine how short-form discovery works on the platform. In this case, it should help users feel more in control of their algorithm. But, as with any test, there’s no guarantee this exact layout will roll out globally.