*Two separate but related moves from YouTube suggest the platform is rethinking how aggressively it promotes short-form video across its products.
According to Cord Cutters, the more visible change involves the desktop homepage. YouTube is currently running a test that repositions long-form content at the top of the feed. The redesigned layout opens with full-width thumbnails for longer horizontal videos. Shorts still appear on the page, but further down on the site.
The adjustment reflects a straightforward observation about desktop behavior. Viewers sitting at a computer tend to commit to longer content, and a layout built around that habit could translate into higher watch time and more mid-roll ad revenue. Industry watchers have also suggested the move positions YouTube more competitively against platforms focused exclusively on long-form programming.
Smartphone users are not part of this test and will notice no immediate changes. Their feeds still open with a single featured video at the top, followed directly by a row of six Shorts, a structure YouTube has left intact for mobile.
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The second development hands individual users a meaningful new lever. YouTube has made a zero-minute daily cap available to everyone on Android and iOS. The setting clears Shorts from the mobile interface completely. Activating it removes the Shorts tab and keeps short clips off the home screen. The setting resets at the start of each new day. Users can find it inside the time management section of the app.
This option grew out of a usage timer YouTube tested in late 2025, which let viewers cap their daily Shorts intake anywhere between 15 minutes and two hours. In early 2026, YouTube added full blocking through parental controls. The zero-minute cap now extends that same ability to every account, regardless of type.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: YouTube Lets Users Fully Disable Shorts
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