Key Takeaways
- “Watch Later” is often overlooked due to its hidden interface and placement of other buttons promoting Shorts, Premium, and donations.
- The “Watch Later” playlist concept doesn’t stand out as a core feature, as it’s associated with playlists rather than saved videos.
- YouTube should consider a dedicated “Saved Videos” section instead of the outdated “Watch Later” playlist for better organization and user experience.
I spend my fair share on YouTube, especially when doing chores. A good proportion of the videos I watch are well over 30 minutes, so I watch them in installments. The problem is that I sometimes forget to finish these videos. The “Watch later” playlist can fix this, but I always forget it exists.
Why We Forget to Use “Watch Later”
There are a few factors that contribute to us forgetting about “Watch Later.” The first is that both the “Save” button and the playlist itself are buried just a bit too deep in the interface. If you want to save a video on a computer, you have to click on the three dots to open the additional menu, hit “Save,” and then select the “Watch Later” playlist. It’s also weird that they use the Add to Playlist icon style instead of a traditional Save icon.
The Save button is less buried in the mobile app, but it’s still preceded by Like, Dislike, Share, Remix, Download, and Thanks. While Like, Dislike, and Share make sense to go before the Save button, I can’t help but think that the other buttons were placed deliberately and tactically to promote YouTube Shorts, Premium, and donations over a core app function. At least they use the more traditional Save icon we’re accustomed to from other platforms. If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, which is why so many forget it even exists.
“Watch Later” Shouldn’t Be a Playlist
Maybe the reason we forget “Watch Later” is the fact that it’s a playlist that you access through your saved playlists instead of a dedicated “Saved Videos” section. There’s something about these saved videos being a playlist that just doesn’t compute. I associate playlists with thematically related pieces of content that are best enjoyed in a curated way, not as a catch-all for saved videos. Plus, if you actually create and save playlists from other users, “Watch Later” just doesn’t stand out as a core feature.
YouTube is really starting to show its age, as the “Watch Later” playlist has been around for longer than some of our other favorite online video platforms. I can’t find the exact date it was released, but I have saved videos from 2014, so it’s at least that old. While I can appreciate the nostalgia of old-school YouTube, I really wish that the app would ignore it this one time and give us a dedicated space for saved videos.
