YouTube is adding TikTok-like features to Shorts, including a clear screen mode, heart icon for likes, 2x speed control, and removing the dislike button, making the platform more similar to TikTok.
<figure>
<img alt="Screenshots showing clear screen mode on YouTube Shorts" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Google" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/youtube-shorts-clear-screen.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" />
<figcaption>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">YouTube is adding even more TikTok-like features to Shorts, including a new "clear screen" mode that removes the icons and text from the video you're watching. In <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/445002770">a blog post on Thursday</a>, YouTube says it's also replacing the "thumbs-up" button with a "heart" icon, and is introducing a new option that lets you watch Shorts at 2x speed.</p>
<img src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/thread-445002770-14290187902379644002.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="<em>You can now speed up a short by swiping down on your screen.</em> | GIF: Google" data-portal-copyright="GIF: Google">
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As noted by YouTube, you can speed up a video by holding down the edge of your screen and lifting your finger when you want it to return to normal speed. You can lock the speed at 2x by pressing the player and swiping down. Another change allows you to mute watching by tapping the video and selecting the "mute …</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/957422/youtube-shorts-update-tiktok">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# YouTube updates Shorts to make it even more like TikTok
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/streaming/957422/youtube-shorts-update-tiktok](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/957422/youtube-shorts-update-tiktok)
[](https://www.theverge.com/authors/emma-roth)
Emma Roth
is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more\. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO\.
YouTube is adding even more TikTok\-like features to Shorts, including a new “clear screen” mode that removes the icons and text from the video you’re watching\. In[a blog post on Thursday](https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/445002770), YouTube says it’s also replacing the “thumbs\-up” button with a “heart” icon, and is introducing a new option that lets you watch Shorts at 2x speed\.
[](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/thread-445002770-14290187902379644002.gif?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100)
As noted by YouTube, you can speed up a video by holding down the edge of your screen and lifting your finger when you want it to return to normal speed\. You can lock the speed at 2x by pressing the player and swiping down\. Another change allows you to mute watching by tapping the video and selecting the “mute” button\.
These new additions make Shorts even more like TikTok, which has had the[similarly\-named](https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/31/23148901/tiktok-clear-mode-test-longer-videos-ui-user-interface)“clear mode” for years — a feature that also removes captions, icons, and usernames from your screen\. TikTok already offers a way to speed up videos as well, and lets users “like” a video by pressing a “heart” button\.
Along with these updates, YouTube is removing the “dislike” button\. It’s encouraging users to share their feedback with the platform by selecting the “Not interested” and “Don’t recommend this channel” options from the three\-dots menu instead\.
**Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\.
- Emma Roth
YouTube appears to be testing moving the dislike button into the three-dots submenu, based on screenshots shared by users on X and Reddit. This follows earlier changes, including hiding public dislike counts in 2021 and removing the button from YouTube Shorts.
Google announced a new YouTube Shorts Remix feature powered by Gemini Omni, allowing users to restyle clips or insert themselves into other people's videos with AI.
YouTube has announced new AI-powered features in its YouTube Studio app, including AI feedback on drafts, dynamic thumbnails, and enhanced analytics, to help creators analyze videos and grow their audiences.
YouTube Shorts will downrank recommendation weight for "clipped and reposted" content, further prioritizing original content. Channels built on pure reposts, lightly modified, and templated content will be hit first.
Facebook plans to test a full-screen video experience similar to TikTok to retain users, amid declining engagement and competition from rival platforms.