YouTube changes homepage designwhich brings one to the fore search bar and deemphasize suggested videos – and if you have deactivated the viewing history, there will be no hints.
YouTube, blank screen if you have turned off history
Google explained that the new screen is intended to offer a “new experience for viewers”. The main novelty concerns those who have turned off their viewing history. If you have no relevant previous viewing historythey will no longer see the usual video recommendations based on their history. This change will virtually eliminate the home screen filled with thumbnails of suggested videos.
Instead, users will be faced with a simplified home page, which includes only the search bar and three key buttons: Shorts, Subscriptions, and Library. This design choice simplifies navigation and emphasizes direct access to key functions. And it assures users who don’t want to share their browsing data that they don’t get inaccurate suggestions.
The change could be seen as an improvement for some. But some commentators (like Emma Roth on The Verge) point out that it could also be a way to trick users into turning their watch history back on. In fact, without a history, many of YouTube’s distinctive features that rely on recommendation algorithms may not be accessible.
The rollout of this new feature is expected to arrive “in the coming months,” but many users are already noticing the change on their homepage. Instead of the video recommendations, a message appears explaining that the cviewing history is disabled and offers the possibility to change its settings to receive personalized advice.
In response to this update, Google said: “We are launching this new experience to make it clearer which YouTube features rely on your watch history to provide video recommendations and make them more streamlined for those of you who prefer to search rather than browse recommendations.”