For many of us, doomscrolling is an integral part of our day. We do it on apps like Instagram, TikTok, and X — and now, it looks we’ll be doing it on YouTube too.
Since Aug. 12, YouTube has been testing an infinite swipe model, which, as the name implies, shows you a new video whenever you scroll. While an endless feed of videos has been commonplace on YouTube Shorts, this infinite scroll test applies to longer YouTube videos as well.
In a statement to The Verge, Google spokesperson Allison Toh said: “We’re running an experiment with a small group of Android users that allow them to swipe up to discover more videos when watching in either portrait or fullscreen landscape mode.”
However, not everyone is a fan of the test.
In response to an X post showing a video of the feature, netizens weren’t exactly positive. Tushar Meta, who posted the video, noted that it was more useful to maximize or minimize videos. Another described it as “so frustrating” while a third dubbed it “hilarious.” A fourth simply asked: “What the heck is this?”
As is the case with most tests like this, it may well never end up beyond the testing stage; but judging by users’ reactions, we can probably expect a bit of a backlash.
