YouTube reportedly testing new homepage that removes dates and view counts

YouTube is reportedly testing a new website layout that removes the date when a video was uploaded and the amount of views it has.

Over the last couple of years, YouTube has experimented with changes to its website that remove various features.

The Google-owned company removed dislikes back in 2021 to reduce targeted attacks on videos, prompting backlash from users worldwide. However, a browser extension to bring them back quickly rose from the ashes.

On Monday, October 28, VidIQ reported in a post on X that YouTube is testing a new homepage layout that removes view counts and dates.

In the screenshot, you can see six videos that show the thumbnail, title, and channel name – but nothing else. Normally, you’ll find the view count and an estimate of how long ago the video was uploaded under the channel name.

Shortly after the tweet was posted, dozens of users flocked to the comments to share their thoughts about the potential change.

“View counts and dates matter in selecting between videos on the same topic. I get from a product perspective what they’re trying to do, but this isn’t better for viewers or creators,” one user commented.

Another said: “View counts I kinda get but dates? having a more recent video on a topic is really important a lot of the time.”

“I don’t like that. I want to see how old a video is. View count doesn’t bother me, but if I’m looking for up-to-date information on something, I don’t want a 6-year-old video, y’know?” replied a third.

Tech YouTuber Marques ‘MKBHD’ Brownlee shared his thoughts as well. “Stop chasing Netflix and just be YouTube,” he said.

YouTube responds

On Tuesday, October 29, YouTube Liason Rene Ritchie shared that he and his team will look into the reported change.

“Our team is looking into it and we’ll come back with more info soon!” he said.

The TeamYouTube account replied to Dexerto’s post on X with more details as well, claiming the new layout is due to certain browser extensions.

“Jumping in here to clarify that this may happen if viewers are watching YouTube with certain browser extensions enabled. If they disable extensions and still encounter this homepage experience, they can submit a report,” they said.

Not everyone on the post is against the removal of dates and views, however, with many commenting that it could benefit some creators as many people skip videos with lower view counts.

This comes just days after it was reported that YouTube is testing a new, cheaper version of YouTube Premium that offers limited ads across all of your devices.