The new YouTube Music layout makes one-handed scrolling way easier

What you need to know

• YouTube Music’s update puts Search and Explore under one roof, so you can browse recommendations and hunt for songs without switching tabs.
• The old compass Explore icon is now a magnifying glass, opening a page with a built-in search bar for smoother navigation.
• Double-tap the search bar, and the keyboard pops up instantly.

YouTube Music’s interface is getting a refresh, now dropping the search button onto the bottom bar for easier access.

This tweak follows a wider app design trend focused on ease of use. Placing key controls at the bottom makes one-handed navigation smoother. 9to5Google says it’s still rolling out, so not everyone has it yet.

YouTube Music used to tuck its search icon up top, which worked but wasn’t exactly user-friendly. On larger phones, reaching it meant awkward hand movements, making a simple task feel slightly annoying over time.

The screenshots show it could make browsing and discovering music a lot smoother.

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Search and explore, now in one spot

With the new update, you don’t have to hit a separate top icon to search. The old compass Explore icon is swapped for a magnifying glass, and when you tap it, you’re on the Explore page with a search bar right up top, so you can browse and hunt for new tracks at the same time.

Before, Search and Explore were split, forcing you to switch between tabs to discover new music and find specific tracks. The separation made it less seamless to engage with both YouTube Music’s recommendations and your own searches.

YouTube Music also now lets you double-tap the search bar to bring up the keyboard right away. It’s a small change, but it makes finding songs way quicker without having to reach for the top of the screen.

The feature’s still limited to a few people, and Google hasn’t confirmed a wider rollout.