Google is constantly working on changes to its YouTube app for Android, and ahead of a coming dark theme, the company seems to be working on a new search bar for the YouTube app.

Currently, a small number of users are starting to see a new full-width search bar on the YouTube app for Android devices. This design clearly hasn’t been finalized, as it adopts a rectangular look that goes against the rest of the design of the YouTube app, as well as recent Android updates in general.

Functionality wise, nothing has changed here. Tapping the search bar does the same thing as the search button, opening up the keyboard and your search history. Once you search for a topic or video, the results are listed as usual, but the bar remains at the top of the screen with your search phrase in tow. This is similar to the previous UI, but the search bar retains the border it has on the main screen.

Interestingly, this updated search bar also removes any YouTube branding from that top bar. Whether you’re signed into a YouTube Red account or not, the logos disappear from the top of the app’s UI. The same cast icon, profile shortcut, and video upload buttons do all still appear on the main screen, though.

As always with YouTube’s A/B testing, it’s unclear if this will expand to other users, and there’s no guarantee you’ll have it on your own device.

Thanks Alex!

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