YouTube is changing navigation in its Android and iOS apps, introducing custom feeds while taking the Subscriptions tab out of the bottom navigation bar. The move alters a mobile shortcut that has sat in the interface for nearly a decade, as first reported by 9to5Mac.
The change reshapes access to followed channels
Subscriptions gives users a destination for videos from channels they follow. For someone who opens YouTube to catch up with specific creators, the tab provides a direct route separate from the app’s other destinations. It gives users a clear tool for intentional viewing of followed channels.
Custom feeds form the other part of YouTube’s announced mobile update. Their addition expands the set of viewing routes the company is placing around the app, while the removal reshapes access to the established following destination.
A decade-old mobile habit is changing
The decision matters because following a channel represents a user’s explicit choice about what to watch. A lower-bar position gives that choice constant visibility whenever the app opens, and persistent placement reduces steps in routine visits. Moving the route can influence how easily viewers return to creators they already follow, particularly for people who have relied on the same control through years of app redesigns.
For YouTube, the redesign also tests how much a familiar navigation pattern matters when it changes the ways people enter its catalog. The company serves audiences who use the mobile app to find videos and keep pace with channels, making placement of that following hub consequential.
YouTube has not said when the navigation change will reach users, where the Subscriptions destination will appear after it leaves the bottom bar, or how custom feeds will select and organize videos. Those details will determine how much the update changes daily viewing routines.
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