Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL; DR
- YouTube is rolling out a redesigned video player for content hosted on other sites, following a major player redesign that debuted last year.
- The new-look YouTube embed player moves some controls to the center of the screen and others to the top-right corner of the UI.
- Users are already criticizing the changes, citing missing features and less accessible controls than before.
YouTube has separate video players for its own site and for embedded content that appears on other sites. last year, Google has introduced an overhauled video player on YouTube It ditched the classic design for a transparent user interface with rearranged buttons. It was introduced in October 2025 and Not everyone was impressed with the new look. Although Google described the visual tweaks as “more visually satisfying with less content hidden,” many users found the controls harder to see and more complex than the classic UI.
For better or worse, Google is now introducing a similar design for the YouTube embed player on other sites. We saw a new embed player that started appearing on Thursday, March 26, and Reddit users have embraced the change. numerous writings. Previously, the classic design of the YouTube embedding player placed playback controls neatly below the progress bar, including play/pause, volume, closed captions, and picture quality.
YouTube’s new embedding player design style changes with more transparency, a user interface that dives deeper into video content when detected, and split button locations between the top, bottom, and middle parts of the UI.
Note that the play/pause button is no longer below the progress bar. It’s a departure from the user interface of the main YouTube desktop player, which still includes every playback control below the progress bar. Instead, the new-look YouTube embed player puts the play/pause button in the middle of the screen. The volume, closed captions, and player settings buttons are moved to the top right corner of the embed player.
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The copy toggle button now appears in the lower left corner of the embed player, where the play/pause button used to live. The redesigned embed player removes the double-click shortcut to enter full-screen mode, and the skip video button is also gone. Instead, the new YouTube embed player has a “More videos” shortcut below the progress bar. The full screen mode button also now floats above the progress bar.
Reddit users have already criticized the new look, claiming that the changed controls are less accessible than before. Additionally, they note that the old Share button is less functional as it now only copies links.
What do you think of the new YouTube embed player UI? Let us know in the comments below.
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