YouTube Introduces Option to Remove Video End Screens for Enhanced Viewer Experience
YouTube Introduces New Option to Hide End Screen Links
YouTube Enhancements: Removing Distractions for a Better Experience
YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform, is unveiling a new feature designed to enhance the viewing experience by allowing users to hide end screen links. These links, often appearing in the last 10 seconds of a video with messages like “Thank you for watching” and “Up next,” can be both helpful and distracting. The platform has implemented a “Hide” option in the top right corner of the playback window for when these links appear, providing users with a choice to remove them if preferred.
How the New “Hide” Feature Works
With the new “Hide” button, you can easily dismiss end screens during video playback. Whenever end screens appear, simply tap the “Hide” button in the video player’s top-right corner to remove them. This allows viewers to watch the video content as intended by the creator. If you wish to restore the end screens, the “Show” button can be tapped, bringing them back.
Impact on Creators and Viewer Engagement
YouTube has evaluated the impact of this new option and found it to have minimal effect on creators. According to YouTube, the ability to hide end screens resulted in less than a 1.5% decrease in views from end screens, based on testing conducted between March and July 2025. This suggests that while the option enhances user experience, it does little to disrupt overall viewer engagement.
Changes to the YouTube Desktop Experience
In addition to revising end screens, YouTube is streamlining the desktop experience by removing the “Subscribe” button that appears when hovering over a video’s branded watermark. This decision was made to simplify user interaction, as a “Subscribe” button already exists directly below the video player, ensuring no decline in subscription rates.
These developments from YouTube align with efforts to address user concerns while optimizing the viewing experience. With the rollouts, YouTube assures that both viewer satisfaction and creator engagement will remain largely unaffected.
Key Takeaways for YouTube Users
- New “Hide” feature allows for removal of distracting end screens during video playback.
- Feature rolled out after successful testing, showing minimal impact on viewer engagement.
- Desktop enhancement includes the removal of redundant “Subscribe” button for a cleaner interface.
Stay tuned to El-Balad for more updates on how these changes impact your YouTube viewing experience.
