YouTube updates Shorts with faster playback and cleaner viewing mode
Technology
YouTube just dropped a bunch of updates for Shorts, making it feel a lot more like TikTok.
There's now faster playback, a cleaner viewing mode, and new ways to interact, all aimed at making your scroll smoother and more fun.
The changes were announced today, June 29, 2026.
Shorts gets clear screen, hearts, mute
You can now speed up videos by holding either side of the screen or hide captions and buttons with "clear screen" mode for distraction-free watching.
The thumbs-up is out, replaced by a heart, and the dislike button is gone from Shorts (though creators can still see old dislike counts).
Plus, there's finally a mute option for silent browsing.
All these tweaks are about giving you more control and an easier way to share what you love or skip what you don't.