The topic YouTube Music redesigns moves Search to the bottom bar is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
Following the Now Playing redesign in April, the next big YouTube Music change moves Search to the bottom bar.
Search replaces Explore in the bottom bar, with no changes to the Home, Samples, or Library tabs. The top-right corner of the app is now just for the profile menu and Activity/notifications feed.
Tapping the magnifying glass opens the keyboard to let you start typing, while voice and song search remain in place. You’ll see a list of recent queries and then the previous Explore grid: New releases, Charts, Moods & genres, and Podcasts. This lets you access much of the previous dedicated page experience.
You get more recent searches after that, as well as a “You may also like” section.
Google has been testing this change since last year. It’s nice for one-handed reachability, while matching the layout of other streaming services.
We’re seeing this change rolled out with version 9.22 on iOS and 9.21 on Android. If you’re not seeing it yet, Force stop from App info. As of this afternoon, we’re seeing pretty wide availability.