YouTube is introducing a “Hide” button that allows viewers to dismiss popups and video suggestions that appear at the end of videos. These end screens, standard on most YouTube videos, have received a mixed reception from users who found them disruptive. The platform responded to community feedback by enabling viewers to focus more intently on the content they are watching without interruption.
To use this feature, users can click on the “Hide” button located in the top right corner of the video player. However, this action applies only to the current video being viewed, meaning the button must be pressed for each new video. Despite this, the addition of the button is a positive development, recognizing viewers’ right to control their experience. End screens may enhance a channel’s metrics, but now users have the choice to remove them when necessary.
Furthermore, YouTube is altering a desktop interface element by removing the Subscribe button that appeared when hovering over a video’s watermark. This change addresses the redundancy of having a Subscribe option under each video as well.
According to YouTube, these adjustments do not hinder video creators from incorporating end screens or watermarks. The impact on video views or subscriptions is negligible, as the company reports only a slight decrease—less than 1.5%—in views from end screens when users choose to hide them. Additionally, the hover-to-subscribe feature on video watermarks contributed to less than 0.05% of all channel subscriptions, making its removal a minor loss.
These changes reflect YouTube’s commitment to enhancing the viewer experience while maintaining content creators’ flexibility in optimizing their channels.