YouTube stirs the pot again by making the likes counter disappear for some users

It’s happening again. YouTube, the platform that has already taken away the public dislike counter, seems to be testing the waters for yet another change that isn’t sitting well with users: the disappearing likes counter.

Reports have been pouring in from confused YouTube viewers who suddenly can’t see the like counts on videos. Sound familiar? It’s the same path YouTube took with the dislike counter before eventually phasing it out altogether. This time, though, it’s the positive side of feedback — likes — that’s on the chopping block, and users are raising eyebrows, if not fists, over this potential change.

For years, the likes counter has been a quick reference point for viewers to gauge how a video is being received. It’s a simple measure of popularity and viewer sentiment, and, unlike the dislike count, it hasn’t been a source of widespread controversy. Losing it would remove yet another layer of transparency, leaving viewers with fewer clues about what others think of a video before they dive in. If YouTube goes through with this, that’s exactly the experience we might be looking at. Some users are already speculating that YouTube is aiming to turn the platform into an experience where engagement metrics are almost entirely hidden akin to Netflix, leaving only the algorithm to guide viewers’ choices.

The reaction online has been swift and, let’s just say, not enthusiastic. Reddit has become a hotbed of complaints, with threads gaining thousands of upvotes and hundreds of comments in a matter of hours. One post simply titled, “No likes anymore now 😔,” gathered over 8,000 upvotes as users expressed frustration and concern. Others joked about what might disappear next, with some predicting that YouTube could eventually get rid of the the ability to upload videos altogether. Others joked that the subscriber counts or even the view counter might be yanked not knowing the latter already happened back in August.

Before you panic and refresh your app to check for the likes counter, it’s worth noting that this might just be another A/B test. YouTube has a long history of rolling out changes to a select group of users before deciding if they’ll go live for everyone. Currently, most users — including myself and my colleagues — can still see the likes counter on a variety of devices, from Android and iOS to Google TV and desktop. So, for now, this could be a test run in select regions to gauge user reactions (which, spoiler alert, aren’t great).

Still, if history is anything to go by, YouTube’s habit of “testing” changes has sometimes led to permanent rollouts, like when it axed the dislike counter. If the platform decides to go down the same route with likes, it could permanently alter how users engage with content — and not in a way that seems to benefit the audience.

This isn’t the only change YouTube has been testing lately, and it’s not the only one causing a stir. The platform has been experimenting with various aspects of its user interface, often leaving users feeling more bewildered than thrilled. Truncated video titles, redesigned miniplayer, a new ‘Subscribe’ button on Google TV and Android TV, YouTube Premium Lite subscription plan with fewer ads for a lower price but doesn’t completely remove ads, and “pause ads” which appear whenever you hit the pause button.

As YouTube continues to roll out one test after another, users like popular YouTuber MKBHD are starting to question whether the platform is losing touch with what made it popular in the first place: simplicity, transparency, and genuine engagement. From UI changes that make browsing more confusing to features that push passive consumption, YouTube’s recent experiments feel increasingly geared toward maximizing screen time and ad exposure rather than enhancing user experience.

For now, the likes counter isn’t gone for everyone, but the possibility that it could disappear permanently is causing concern. If YouTube proceeds, we might be looking at a future where likes and dislikes are hidden from public view, titles are truncated, and ads pop up even when you just want to pause. It’s a vision that, for many users, isn’t exactly “like-worthy.”