The "swipe up" gesture is gradually becoming a new habit for users after the huge success of TikTok and similar platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
Now, YouTube is testing a new swipe-up gesture in the standard video player to skip to the next video.
The swipe up gesture was originally introduced by TikTok and was later adopted on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
This is a quick and convenient way for users to move through a series of short vertical videos. However, this is typically only used for vertical videos.
As noted by Digital Trends contributor Tushar Mehta on Twitter/X, YouTube is testing a new feature on the full-screen video player that allows swiping up to play new videos.
The feature is currently only available in limited testing and has only been spotted on Android. If it is officially rolled out, it would be a significant change, as currently the swipe up gesture is used to exit full screen mode.
Android users can still swipe from the sides or use the arrow button in the upper left corner to exit full screen mode.
It’s unclear whether Google intends to roll out the feature more broadly, but user feedback will likely play a role in that decision. YouTube has yet to comment on the change.
