YouTube is testing a move that buries the Subscriptions tab on mobile

If you opened YouTube on your phone recently and couldn't find the Subscriptions tab where you left it, you're not imagining things. YouTube is running a small experiment that moves the tab from its familiar third spot in the bottom navigation bar to a new position just below the app logo at the top of the screen. The change affects only a fraction of users globally right now, but YouTube has confirmed the test is real.

The swap

The bottom bar's freed-up slot goes to an enlarged "Create" button, which YouTube is using to push its video creation tools — including AI-powered features. It's a clear signal of where the company sees its future: less passive consumption, more user-generated content. The shift also lines up with YouTube's broader strategy around TV viewing, which is now the primary way people watch in the US, making the mobile app increasingly about creating rather than just browsing.

As 9to5Google first reported, testers have already run into bugs — buttons occasionally vanish from the interface entirely until the app is restarted. That kind of instability suggests Google is still early in figuring out whether this layout actually works.

What this means for you

YouTube told 9to5Google it doesn't yet know whether users will respond well to the change. Translation: this is a genuine experiment, not a done deal. If you haven't seen it yet, you almost certainly won't for a while — the rollout is limited to a small percentage of accounts, and there's no timetable for a wider release.

That said, the direction is clear. YouTube has been steadily reshaping its interface around creation and AI tools, and the Subscriptions feed — once a core reason to open the app — is becoming less prominent in that vision. If the test results go the way YouTube hopes, the new layout could eventually reach everyone. For now, if your Subscriptions tab has moved, a quick scroll to the top of the screen should find it.