YouTube Music’s Now Playing UI is revised for the Android and iOS versions of the app

Google changes the “Now Playing” screen on the YouTube Music app

The old YouTube Music Now Playing UI on the left with the redesigned look on the right. | Image credit-9to5Google

Controls such as the Shuffle icon, the Skip Backward button, the Play button, the Skip Forward button, and the Repeat button have been moved above the progress bar The Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down, Comments, Save (to your library) and Share buttons are now the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down, Lyrics, and the Song/Video Switcher buttons and are a carousel that have been moved underneath the progress bar. Speaking of the progress bar, it is now thicker.

Two redesigned pages for YouTube Music. | Image credit-9to5Google

Replacing the Up Next button is a handle you can drag up to see which playlist or radio channel you’re on. If you tap the handle instead of swiping up on it, you will get a dual-window view that shows the Now Playing UI on top and the next four songs in your queue, replacing the carousel with the action buttons. The Related menu and the Lyrics features can be opened and expanded. When closed, you’ll see the name of the song you are listening to. 

If the redesign hasn’t arrived, try this workaround on your Android phone.

Google has plenty of competition in the streaming music market

YouTube Music competes against Spotify and Apple Music. The latter, with its lossless music and Spatial Audio, is considered to have the best music quality among this trio. Spotify, just now, is rolling out lossless audio. On the other hand, Spotify takes the top spot for UI and is praised for its song recommendations that give subscribers the names of new artists to listen to.

However, when it comes to the size of each streamer’s music library, YouTube Music has tunes that you won’t find on Spotify or Apple Music. If you prize a huge music library, YouTube Music should be your pick. If you’re looking for the service with the best music quality, Apple Music should be your selection. If you’re looking for a music streamer with a free tier (with ads, of course), Spotify or YouTube should be your pick.

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