YouTube is rolling out the 'Explore' tab to all mobile users

YouTube has been toying around with the idea of an “Explore” tab for quite some time, and now the company is finally rolling it out to all mobile users.

Google has confirmed today that the new Explore tab, which replaces the “Trending” tab, is rolling out to all iOS and Android users of the official YouTube app. However, just because the Trending tab is getting removed doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find videos that are trending on the platform. They’ll still be there and still discoverable within the new Explore tab.

The new Explore tab will also feature existing video categories, options like Gaming, News, Music, and more. Trending is living in this section now.

You’ll see options like “Creators on the Rise” and “Artists on the Rise” below that, which includes a carousel of videos to choose from. Content creators will see plenty of exposure in this section of the app, as Google says it will be updating this section on a daily basis.

Here are the major bullet points, per Google’s announcement today:

Easy access to destination pages: Tap the buttons at the top of the Explore tab to find new videos to watch from our existing destination pages – Music, Gaming, News, Movies & Shows, Fashion & Beauty and Learning. We plan to continue adding more destination pages over time, so let us know what you’d like to see.

More prominent Creator & Artist on the Rise section: As you scroll through your Explore feed, you’ll see “Creator on the Rise” and “Artist on the Rise” before other trending videos. New creators and artists emerge on YouTube every day, so we hope this makes it easier for you to discover their content and connect with them and their communities! Learn more about Creators & Artists On the Rise.

Continue to see what’s Trending on YouTube right now: The Trending page will continue to have its own section in Explore (& it’s own button at the top too!) with the goal of showing you what’s happening on YouTube and in the world right now. By the way, Trending displays the same list of trending videos in each country/region to everyone. Read more about how Trending works.

The Explore tab has been something Google’s been working on for quite some time. We heard about it as far back as 2018, at least in some capacity or another. The company has been testing and experimenting since then, trying to come up with the best way to implement the feature.

In any event, Google says the new Explore tab is rolling out now to iOS and Android users.