YouTube now lets you hide recommendation pop-ups at the end of videos, a long-awaited update that puts viewers back in control. The platform announced the feature on Wednesday, finally addressing one of the most common user complaints.
With this update, you’ll see a new “Hide” button in the top-right corner of the video player. Tapping it removes the recommendation pop-ups—often called end screens—for the current video you’re watching. If you change your mind, you can easily bring them back by hitting the “Show” button.
Why This Change Matters
For years, end screens have been both useful and frustrating. While they help creators promote more videos or drive subscriptions, they often cover the last few moments of a video, making it harder to see what’s happening.
By letting viewers hide them, YouTube is balancing creator tools with a cleaner, distraction-free viewing experience.
Other Updates Rolling Out
Alongside this change, YouTube also announced the removal of the hover-to-subscribe button that appeared when moving your cursor over a video’s branded watermark. The company explained that the regular Subscribe button directly below the video player already serves this purpose, making the hover feature unnecessary.
What It Means For Creators
Creators can still add end screens to their videos, and YouTube believes the impact on performance will be minimal.
In tests, YouTube found that giving viewers the option to hide end screens only caused a less than 1.5% drop in views from end screens. Additionally, the hover-to-subscribe feature accounted for just 0.05% of total channel subscriptions, showing it wasn’t a significant driver of growth.
A Viewer-First Approach
These changes highlight YouTube’s shift toward prioritizing user experience. The platform says the updates are in direct response to user feedback, with many viewers asking for ways to reduce distractions and better focus on the content they’re watching.
With this rollout, creators still have promotional tools, but viewers finally get more choice over how they consume content.
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