YouTube is not ‘hiding’ the skip button, but it is changing

YouTube has updated how the “skip” button works with ads, and it may no longer appear right away.

Over the past few weeks, YouTube users across mobile and desktop have noticed new behavior in which the “skip” button for ads doesn’t show up as it has for years. For a long time, the button appeared with a ticking clock for when it would be actionable, but the new behavior either removed the button entirely or left it blocked until the timer was up, no longer showing that countdown.

The change was spotted by users on Reddit and reported by Android Police, who showed the updated look on mobile.

However, YouTube has clarified the matter once and for all to The Verge, explaining that the button isn’t being hidden.

YouTube is not hiding the skip button. On skippable ads, the button appears after 5 seconds into playback, as always.

Adding on to that, a YouTube spokesperson explained that this new version of the “skip” button is all about “reducing elements on the ads player” in order to allow viewers to “engage more deeply with the ad through a cleaner experience.”

Users will still see a progress bar indicating when the ad can be skipped, as well as seeing the skip button when the ad can be skipped as YouTube explained to Android Police.

Viewers on the mobile and desktop experience may see the countdown timer now appear as a progress bar at the bottom of the screen. YouTube has been rolling out yearly updates that offer a more modern and immersive viewing experience while also improving how users watch videos. In alignment with these updates, across the platform, the ads experience is also evolving.