Downloading the latest version of YouTube Music (v6.04.53) from the Play Store orAPKMirrordoesn’t seem to enable these new buttons yet, but one of our eagle-eyed readers spotted this on their app, indicating that this might be a server-side change rolling out to a select few. The new version combines the upvote/downvote, Save (Add to playlist), Share, Download, and Start radio buttons in a horizontal carousel right below the song and artist names.
Meanwhile, in its current form, buttons for Share, Download, Add to Playlist, and Start radio can be activated with a single tap of the album cover. These options can also be accessed via the three-dot menu on the top right of the Now Playing UI.
Newly added carousel in the Now Playing UI(left); Existing arrangement of buttons in the Now Playing UI(right)
It’s not surprising that YouTube Music wants to make all of these options easily accessible with minimal taps. However, we’re hoping for a better implementation, perhaps with larger buttons. These appear somewhat prone to accidental taps since they’re positioned relatively close to each other. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about this particular addition in subsequent YouTube Music versions for Android.
The YouTube Music team has been actively involved in enhancing the visual experience of its Android app. Some of its recent design additions includeplay counts for popular tracks— similar to Spotify —and a new under-development markeridentifying when a song you’re playing is a cover and not the original version, in case you didn’t know that already.
