YouTube is updating its Shorts videos with three new features: a clean viewing mode that hides on-screen buttons and text, the ability to speed videos up or slow them down, and a new heart-shaped like button, according to YouTube's announcement from 25 June 2026.

What's new

The clean viewing mode removes things like captions, creator names, and action buttons from the screen while you watch. For videos that fill the whole frame — like dance performances, cooking, or filmed content — this matters. Right now, up to a third of the screen gets taken up by buttons and text. Turning this mode on gives you the full video. You can turn it on or off each time you watch, so the app still works the way you're used to.

Speed control is straightforward: you can now watch Shorts faster or slower, just like you can with YouTube's regular videos. Some people like to speed up boring parts or slow down to learn a technique. YouTube's main videos have had this feature for years. Now Shorts does too.

The like button is changing shape. Instead of a thumbs-up, it's now a heart. TikTok and Instagram use hearts for likes, and YouTube is making Shorts match that style.

Why this matters

These updates are part of a bigger plan. In January 2026, YouTube said it would add other types of content — like photo posts — directly into Shorts, as announced in its roadmap. Over time, Shorts is becoming its own thing rather than just an add-on to regular YouTube.

Before these viewing updates, YouTube made a money change. In 2022, YouTube lowered how much people needed to earn from Shorts to make money from the platform. This encouraged creators to treat Shorts as their main way to post videos, not just to advertise their longer videos.

What's happening behind the scenes

Speed control and a clean screen aren't new ideas — lots of video apps have them. YouTube had focused on keeping the discovery part of Shorts simple and swipe-friendly instead. Adding these controls shows that YouTube now thinks keeping people watching Shorts is less of a problem. They can focus on making each viewing better.

The heart button change is simpler from an engineering standpoint, but it shows YouTube is thinking about making Shorts look and feel more like other short-video apps, since most people use multiple short-video apps every day.

These changes started rolling out at the end of June 2026. YouTube hasn't said when everyone will have them.