YouTube has just launched a new feature and users are hating it.
The Google platform has been testing new features for months to keep up with short content-based platforms like TikTok.
Now, when users open up the app, YouTube skips the homepage feed and instantly plays a video in full screen.
But the intrusive part of this feature seems to have struck a nerve in the YouTube community.
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Reddit threads in the YouTube community are full of complaints, with users saying the app's reliance on the feature ruins their experience.
One user has called it 'the most annoying feature I’ve ever seen.' They wrote: "When I open the app I want to see my feed and select a video to watch, not just have the first video be forced into full screen."
What's more frustrating is that there doesn’t seem to be a fix for it.
According to users' reports, logging out of the app, clearing data or even deleting the app altogether doesn't seem to stop the autoplay. Additionally, the complaints are saying it doesn’t make much sense to open the app on your phone and have a random video start playing.
Some are even threatening to cancel their Premium if they continue to have no control over the feature. They replied: "Worst experience ever... If this is a mandatory feature and cant be disabled, I will cancel my Premium."
In response to the original post, one person suspects it could be 'a glitch with specific devices.' Meanwhile, others think YouTube is experimenting with the feature on a select group of users. But looking at the abundance of complaints, the number of people affected is pretty large.
On another Reddit thread, one user complained: "I've suddenly had this start as well. Extremely annoying" while someone else added: "My sibling in suffering! This has been happening to me too, and it's driving me insane. I HATE it."
One user reportedly got a reply from YouTube’s support account saying: “I’ve reviewed my resources, and yes, this is an experimental feature. Feel free to share your feedback via our feedback tool: yt.be/help/feedback.”
While not all users are seeing the change, the number of complaints keeps growing.
It is unclear about what’s happening with the mobile app especially with no clear announcement from YouTube officials.
For now, it's a case of waiting to see what happens and whether YouTube will listen to the feedback from its community.