YouTube Tests New Scrolling Feature in Fullscreen Mode, Replacing Exit Gesture
YouTube is experimenting with a new feature on its mobile app, changing the familiar swipe gestures in fullscreen mode to replicate the scrolling experience seen in YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and TikTok. The change, noticed by user Tushar Mehta on X, shifts the swipe-up and swipe-down gestures to switch between videos, moving away from the current swipe-down gesture used to exit fullscreen mode.
The YouTube product team is fucking the gestures in the Android app one after another.
— Tushar Mehta (@thetymonbay) November 11, 2024
Who the fuck wants to scroll on a long form video? It was more useful to minimize/maximize videos.
As if fucking the in-app PiP wasn't satisfying enough to whoever is getting off this. pic.twitter.com/1jY0XFbiMW
Currently, YouTube allows users to swipe up to enter fullscreen and swipe down to exit. In fullscreen mode, a swipe-up reveals a list of suggested videos. Under the new feature, however, swiping up in fullscreen would load a new suggested video, while swiping down would return to the previous video. To exit fullscreen, users would either have to backtrack through watched videos or tap the exit button, breaking existing navigation habits.
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This shift appears aimed at encouraging continuous video consumption by creating a scrollable experience, similar to Shorts. However, users accustomed to the existing swipe gestures may find the change disruptive, as it alters the muscle memory built around exiting fullscreen mode.
Currently in limited testing, this feature may or may not reach a wider release depending on user feedback. YouTube’s experiment reflects an ongoing trend in video apps to boost engagement by promoting a seamless, scroll-driven interface.
