YouTube appears to be experimenting with a new homepage design that omits both view count and upload date information. This proposed change has sparked considerable backlash among users, with many expressing their concerns online. While some users expressed support for eliminating the view count alongside thumbnails, the majority argued that removing the upload date would hinder the platform’s functionality, particularly for news content.
YouTube’s New Homepage Experiment
As shared in an X post by the user vidIQ (@vidIQ), the platform is testing a homepage that displays videos featuring only the channel name and video title, alongside the thumbnail image, without any view or upload date info.
In response to the post, a significant number of users mentioned in the comments that the absence of view counts will likely not change their viewing habits. Some users even suggested that this could benefit emerging creators by encouraging clicks on videos with fewer views, which typically may be overlooked.
Conversely, concerns were prevalent regarding the potential removal of the upload date feature. If accurate, some users voiced that this could affect how content is consumed on the platform, particularly since the context surrounding various topics shifts over time. This concern is especially pertinent for political and current issue-related content.
Official Response from YouTube
YouTube, owned by Alphabet, has addressed the concerns but has not definitively denied the testing of a homepage lacking the specified features. The platform clarified in an X post that some users might be experiencing the absence of view count and upload date information due to the presence of “certain browser extensions.”
Should users find that these details remain missing on their homepage without any external interference, YouTube encouraged them to report the issue so that an investigation can be carried out.
