# YouTube interface redesign testing

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/youtube-interface-redesign-testing
> Updated: 2026-10-09T23:01:00.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2.

YouTube is conducting server-side A/B testing for interface redesigns across its desktop and music platforms. On the desktop web version, the company is testing a layout that moves comments, descriptions, and video details to a right-hand sidebar, while shifting recommended videos to a larger grid beneath the player. Some users have reported that this change makes the video window feel “cramped and cluttered,” leading some to use community-made filters to revert to the classic design.

Simultaneously, YouTube Music is testing a visual overhaul for album and playlist pages on Android. This redesign features more immersive cover art that occupies approximately one-third of the screen and reorganizes interaction controls, such as playback, download, and library buttons, into a more prominent layout. In this new interface, images act as a background for information, similar to current artist page presentations.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-09: YouTube Music tests new interface design and compares features with Spotify

YouTube Music is testing a new Android interface with larger album art and reorganized controls, while comparisons with Spotify highlight differences in video integration and music discovery features.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/youtube-music-tests-new-interface-design-and-compares-features-with-spotify

### 2026-10-07: YouTube tests new desktop and music interface layouts

YouTube is testing major interface redesigns, including a new desktop layout with a right-side sidebar and a more immersive, art-focused visual overhaul for YouTube Music album and playlist pages.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/youtube-tests-new-web-interface-design-amid-user-backlash

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Cite as: YouTube interface redesign testing. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/youtube-interface-redesign-testing