YouTube is updating short videos to make them more like TikTok

YouTube is adding more TikTok-like features to Shorts, including a new “clear screen” mode that removes icons and text from the video you’re watching. in Thursday’s postYouTube says it’s also replacing the “thumbs up” button with a “heart” icon, and introducing a new option that lets you watch short videos at twice the speed.

As YouTube notes, you can speed up a video by holding down the edge of the screen and lifting your finger when you want to return to normal speed. You can lock the speed at 2x by pressing the trigger and scrolling down. Allows you to change the last viewing mute by tapping on the video and choosing the “Mute” button.

These new additions make Shorts videos more similar to TikTok, which has… Likewise “Clear Mode” for years – a feature that also removes captions, icons and usernames from your screen. TikTok already offers a way to speed up videos as well, allowing users to “like” a video by pressing the “heart” button.

Along with these updates, YouTube is removing the “Dislike” button. It encourages users to share their feedback with the platform by selecting the “Not interested” and “I don’t recommend this channel” options from the three-dot menu instead.