YouTube Features: 7 Useful Changes Explained (Oct 2026)

Editorial Notice: This article is for informational purposes only. Feature details are based on reports from named outlets, YouTube Help pages, and Google’s own blog, checked on October 23, 2026. YouTube rolls features out in stages, so your account may not have every change yet. Items marked as tests may never reach everyone.

📅 Published: October 24, 2026

You open YouTube and the bottom bar looks different. Or a friend leaves a GIF in the comments and you cannot find the button to do the same. Or the dislike button is simply not where you left it.

None of this is necessarily a glitch. YouTube has been changing its home screen, comments, TV controls, and creator tools over the past few weeks, and every change reaches accounts at a different speed. That is why one person sees a new feature on Monday while another sees nothing for a month.

This guide explains the latest YouTube features in plain terms: what each change does, who can use it now, and where the limits are. YouTube Music is not covered here. Only features reported as live, rolling out, or visible in a test today are included.

📋 Table of Contents

What Are the New YouTube Features?
Viewer Changes in the New YouTube Features
Tests of New YouTube Features You May Be Seeing
Creator Changes in the New YouTube Features
How to Get the New YouTube Features
Conclusion
FAQs

What Are the New YouTube Features? {#whats-in-update}

These YouTube features are not one release. They are separate changes that arrived between August and October 2026. Some are fully rolling out, while others are limited tests, and the table shows how each of the YouTube features is reaching people.

Change	What it does	Who can use it now	Status
Custom Feeds and new Home top bar	Builds a feed from your description and moves Subscriptions to the top bar	Signed-in US viewers using English	Rolling out
Phone as TV companion	Controls and interacts with TV playback from your phone	Not specified by YouTube	Announced September 2, no device list
GIF comments	Lets you pick a GIF from an in-app library	Some mobile users	Gradual rollout
Dislike button moved	Places the dislike option in a three-dot menu	Small group, reports differ	Test
Desktop comments sidebar	Puts comments and description in a side panel	Some desktop accounts	Test
Amazon product tagging	Tags Amazon products in videos and earns commission	Eligible US creators	Reported available
Live Practice Mode	Private rehearsal before a vertical livestream	Creators on mobile	Rolling out

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Viewer Changes in the New YouTube Features {#viewers}

1. Custom Feeds and the New Home Top Bar in the New YouTube Features {#custom-feeds}

This is the biggest visible change among the new YouTube features right now. Android Authority reports that you can describe a topic, content type, or mood, and YouTube builds a dedicated feed from it. You tap the plus button at the top of the homepage feeds and type what you want.

Saved feeds appear in the top bar, and you can edit the original prompt or remove a feed later. Android Authority says free users can save three feeds, and Premium subscribers can save eight. Your regular Home feed stays available.

The same update changes navigation. 9to5Google reports that the Subscriptions tab is leaving the bottom bar of the Android and iOS apps and moving to the top bar, right after Home. It also says the navigation drawer is removed.

Who has it: Android Authority says custom feeds are rolling out to signed-in users in the US with English language settings and watch and search history turned on. 9to5Google says more countries will follow, but gives no date.

How to try it:

Open the YouTube app and stay on the Home tab.
Tap the plus button at the top of the feeds.
Describe what you want, such as a topic or a mood.
Save the feed and find it later in the top bar.

If you do not see the plus button, your account has not received the new YouTube features yet.

2. New YouTube Features: Your Phone as a TV Companion {#tv-companion}

On September 2, 2026, YouTube changed how a phone works with the TV app. According to PPC Land, YouTube removed the shared Wi-Fi requirement. The only requirement now is the same account signed in on both devices.

Social Media Today says you can comment, like, read descriptions, and subscribe from your phone while the TV keeps playing. You can also search or watch Shorts on the phone without interrupting the TV.

To send a video to the TV, tap the three-dot menu beside a video on the homepage feed and choose the option to play it on a different device. PPC Land adds that a panel can be reopened later through a devices icon at the top of the mobile home screen.

The limits: PPC Land notes that YouTube’s post gives no rollout schedule, no list of supported TV platforms, and no market list. The manual code option for linking a TV is still there. Treat this change as available when your app shows the panel, not before.

3. GIF Comments in the New YouTube Features {#gif-comments}

9to5Google reported on October 14, 2026 that YouTube had begun rolling out GIF support in comments on videos and Shorts. It describes the rollout as gradual. Many users reported seeing GIFs posted by others without having the option themselves.

TechRepublic adds that the GIFs come from an in-app library, and that some users can see GIF comments but cannot post them yet. Neither outlet confirmed whether you can upload your own animated files. 9to5Google calls that unclear.

If you want to check access, open the comment box on a video in the mobile app and look for a GIF option. Seeing someone else’s GIF does not prove your account has it.

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Tests of New YouTube Features You May Be Seeing {#tests}

Two changes are tests, not full launches. They matter because they can change how YouTube looks for you today. These tests are part of the wider update, but they may never reach everyone.

4. The Dislike Button Moves Into a Menu {#dislike-button}

Reports about this one disagree, so read it carefully. Android Authority and Android Headlines reported on October 20, 2026 that YouTube was testing a layout where the dislike button sits inside the three-dot menu on long-form videos. Android Headlines described it as affecting a small group of desktop users.

Then, according to American Bazaar, YouTube told The Verge on October 21 that the change applies only to creators viewing their own uploads, and that it is not testing the same change for viewers generally. The same report says creators keep full dislike counts in YouTube Studio.

I could not confirm the statement in a second source, so treat the creators-only detail as reported, not settled. Either way, the button has not been removed. Dislikes are still counted.

5. A New Desktop Watch Page Layout {#desktop-layout}

Techdows reported on October 7, 2026 that some desktop accounts are seeing a watch page where comments and the video description sit in a right-hand side panel. Recommendations move into a grid below the player, and the player and side panel scroll separately.

Techdows says YouTube runs experiments per account or browser, so a private window or a second account may still show the classic page. It adds that a similar arrangement was tested in 2024 and later rolled back.

There is no official way to opt out. Techdows says the only route that reaches YouTube is your profile menu, then Send feedback.

Creator Changes in the New YouTube Features {#creators}

6. Amazon Product Tagging {#amazon-tagging}

The creator side focuses on shopping and live streaming. eMarketer reports that creators can link Amazon products in Shorts, long-form videos, and livestreams and earn commissions on resulting sales. The program is limited to US creators who are enrolled in the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, the YouTube Partner Program, and Amazon’s influencer program.

Outlier Kit adds that creators choose from a curated Amazon catalog, not the whole store, and that earnings are bundled into the AdSense payment. It says the commission rate is reportedly around 2 to 4 percent, but that neither company has published an exact figure.

One conflict is worth knowing. TechRepublic, writing on September 1, described eligible creators as people who “will be able to” tag products and did not confirm a rollout date. eMarketer and Outlier Kit describe the program as available now to eligible US creators. Check your own YouTube Studio before assuming access.

7. Live Practice Mode {#practice-mode}

Social Media Today reported on August 9, 2026 that YouTube is rolling out a practice mode for vertical livestreams. Creators can test their setup in a private recording window, including chat, polls, stickers, and green screens, and then go live directly from it.

YouTube’s own Creator Updates page lists Live Practice Mode among its latest updates and says it is rolling out to all creators on the mobile app. Social Media Today only mentions mobile, so do not expect it in the desktop version.

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How to Get the New YouTube Features {#how-to-get}

There is no switch to flip. You can improve your chances with a few simple steps:

Update YouTube from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Sign in to your account, because several features depend on being signed in.
For Custom Feeds, make sure watch and search history are turned on, as Android Authority lists those as conditions.
Check again after a few days. Staged rollouts reach accounts at different times.

Android Authority notes that the Home changes are “starting to roll out in the US.” Outside the US, you may see nothing yet.

Conclusion: Fast-Moving YouTube Features {#conclusion}

These YouTube features touch almost every part of the app: how you find videos, how you use your phone with a TV, how you react in comments, and how creators earn and rehearse. The most visible piece for most people is the new Home screen with Custom Feeds, but it is limited to US English accounts for now.

If a feature is missing for you, that is normal. Update the app, sign in, and check again later. If a test layout bothers you, use Send feedback, because YouTube has given no other opt-out.

Keep an eye on YouTube’s own help pages as the new YouTube features continue to roll out.

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📖 About the Author

Waqar Ahmad is a tech and digital lifestyle writer with over 6 years of experience covering mobile apps, communication platforms, and internet infrastructure. He writes to make app updates and tech news understandable for everyday readers.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the latest YouTube features?

The latest YouTube features include Custom Feeds with a redesigned Home top bar, phone-to-TV controls, GIF comments, two layout tests, and creator tools such as Amazon product tagging and Live Practice Mode.

2. Why don’t I see the new YouTube features on my account?

YouTube rolls features out in stages. Android Authority says Custom Feeds are rolling out first to signed-in US viewers with English settings, and 9to5Google says GIF comments are a gradual rollout. Update the app and check again later.

3. Where did the Subscriptions tab go?

According to 9to5Google, YouTube is moving the Subscriptions tab from the bottom bar of the Android and iOS apps to the top bar, right after Home. This applies to accounts that have received the new YouTube features.

4. How many Custom Feeds can I save?

Android Authority says free users can save three feeds and YouTube Premium subscribers can save eight.

5. Has YouTube removed the dislike button?

No. Reports describe a test that moves it into a three-dot menu. American Bazaar says YouTube told The Verge the change applies only to creators viewing their own uploads, though I could not confirm that in a second source.

6. Can I turn off the new desktop layout?

There is no official opt-out. Techdows says the only route that reaches YouTube is your profile menu, then Send feedback.

7. Do these YouTube features include YouTube Music?

No. This guide covers the main YouTube app only.