YouTube is removing the Dislike button from Shorts and replacing it with Save. In order to test the change, the company is releasing it to a small group of mobile users before committing to a global release. The Dislike button will no longer be available on the main player view for those impacted by this experiment. Instead, they can access it by tapping the three-dot menu. This update appears to have been applied randomly, unlike opt-in YouTube Premium experiments.
With the new Save button front and centre, YouTube wants to encourage people to add more shorts to playlists they can enjoy later or share with friends. Since Shorts move at a fast pace, viewers will likely start saving videos they like rather than leaving dislikes.
When you tap Save, the video is added to an existing playlist or a new one that you own. This makes it very easy to rewatch funny or informative shorts whenever you want without searching again. Friends can also be sent the whole playlist instead of individual video links.
It’s still unclear if YouTube will fully implement the change or scrap it. The company often tests new features this way before deciding. As more users get the updated version, YouTube will gain valuable data on how hiding the Dislike impacts creators and viewers.
