YouTube has introduced updates to enhance the viewing experience by adding a "Hide" button that lets viewers dismiss end screens on videos. This button appears in the top-right corner of the video player and hides end screens only for the current video; users can tap “Show” to bring them back. Additionally, on desktop, YouTube is removing the Subscribe button that appears when hovering over a video's branded watermark, since a Subscribe button already exists below the video player, simplifying the interface.
Impact on Creators
Creators can still add end screens and watermarks as before, with no changes to their ability to do so. YouTube's analysis indicates minimal impact on performance:
- The option to hide end screens caused less than a 1.5% decrease in views from end screens during a global mobile experiment from March to July 2025.
- Less than 0.05% of all channel subscriptions come from the hover-to-subscribe button on the video watermark, based on data from June 2025.
Reason for Changes
These updates are driven by community feedback, with viewers requesting options to reduce distractions and better focus on video content.
