YouTube is a countable unit of Google’s workspace. To enhance its features and functionality, the company rolls out upgrades continuously. Along with new updates, the user interface, options, features, and convenience of the app get upgraded. Previously, the interface of YouTube was different compared to the present time. Google rolls out updates for upgrading the app, but here’s the catch: after all these new changes, YouTube decidedly does not feel like a first-party Google application.
YouTube rolled out a new update, by which now when the user opens YouTube, they appear with an animated splash screen, the same as workspace apps. This process takes seconds to complete, but because of this, users feel like they are waiting for it.
The second noticeable fact is that in the past, a short bottom bar was placed that looks out of place compared to the taller Material 3 style, which leverages pill-shaded indicators to note the current selection. A tall bottom bar and a row of buttons above it would just cut into the viewing space for content. Jumping on the buttons, YouTube maintains its iconography, which uses thin lines. The icon appears pretty straightforward, but it’s overly minimal and does not fit in with Android or Google, which uses bolder outlines.
Now, with the recent upgrades, users are appearing with a “You” tab placed at the bottom right corner, which combines the Library and account menu. The user’s profile picture is displayed next to the rest of the bottom bar icons. Somehow, it looks unbalanced and makes YouTube feel more like a social application. However, YouTube is a kind of social network, but more people use this particular app for content consumption as compared to creation.
Also, now the user’s profile avatar no longer appears in the top-right corner, and the account switcher is placed in the You tab, for which the user needs to access settings. With a new update, the search icon shifts to the right position, and it seems that this has been extremely trouble making muscle memory.
The next catch is the non-system share sheet arrangement across YouTube and YouTube Music. Meanwhile, Chrome and Google Photos were upgraded with Android 14, and it is expected that YouTube will follow as its approach does not add any value. Also, YouTube lack Dynamic Color and remains constant on dark themes. Also, the YouTube application just appears inconsistent even as the users do not mind AMOLED black.
All these reasons force me to think that YouTube doesn’t appear as a first-party application of Google Workspace.
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