Key Takeaways
- YouTube Subs Location: YouTube began moving Subscriptions from the bottom bar to the top of Home on October 22, 2026, and renamed it Subs. Tap Home at the bottom, then Subs at the top, or scroll up if the top row has disappeared.
- YouTube Subs Fixes: If YouTube Subs is missing, turn watch history back on and check the account under You. Some Android users report seeing a Subscriptions shortcut when they long-press the YouTube icon, and you can set a favorite channel’s bell to All for alerts.
- YouTube Subs Backup: If YouTube Subs is still missing after updating and restarting, check the bottom bar for Subscriptions because the rollout is gradual and there’s no official layout toggle. Try youtube.com/feed/subscriptions in a signed-in browser or open Subscriptions from the desktop sidebar.
YouTube Subscriptions tab missing from the bottom of your phone screen? Tap Home in the bottom bar, then tap Subs near the top. YouTube began rolling out the new layout on October 22, 2026, and Subs is where you’ll find the latest uploads from the channels you follow.
If you keep opening Create by habit, that old tap is a hard one to shake. And if the entire row above your Home feed is missing, you may need to scroll up or check whether your watch history is paused. Here’s where YouTube put your feed, why your screens might look different, and how to get back to your channels faster.
Where the YouTube Subscriptions Tab Went
Your subscriptions now sit inside Home on phones that have received the redesign. If you can see the row at the top of Home, you’re one tap away from your feed.
Open Home and Tap Subs in the Top Bar
Open the YouTube app and tap Home at the bottom. Look for Subs immediately to the right of Home in the top row. A red underline appears under Subs when you select it.
You’ll see recent uploads from the channels you follow, and you can tap a channel’s profile icon to open that channel. The new bottom bar has four buttons in order, Home, Shorts, Create, and You. Some viewers report opening the camera when they reach for the old Subscriptions tab.
Scroll Up if the Top Bar Has Disappeared
Android Headlines reports that the top bar can disappear as you scroll down the feed. Scroll back up a little and look for the row again. If you’re elsewhere in the app, tap Home first.
The row also scrolls sideways, so you may be looking at Music, More, or a custom feed. Swipe the row back toward its beginning, where Home and Subs sit next to each other.
| What you’re looking for | Before the redesign | After the redesign |
|---|---|---|
| Phone bottom bar | Home, Shorts, +, Subscriptions, You | Home, Shorts, Create, You |
| Subscriptions | Separate tab in the bottom bar | Subs in the top row of Home |
| Side menu | Slide-out menu | Removed from the redesigned phone app |
| Library | Library or You, depending on the layout | You |
| Top of Home | Topic chips | Home, Subs, Live, Music, eligible Movies & TV, custom feeds, +, and More |
Why YouTube Removed the Subscriptions Tab
YouTube described the redesigned top bar as the first in a series of updates to Home. The new row brings several feeds together, and the company tested moving Subscriptions there months before the October rollout.
A Home Redesign Built Around Feeds
Subscriptions had been in the bottom bar since 2017. In the redesigned app, you open Home and pick a feed such as Subs, Live, or Music from the top row.
YouTube also removed the slide-out side menu from the redesigned phone app. Movies & TV gets a spot in the top row if you have a qualifying paid subscription or add-on. Otherwise, you can find it under More.
YouTube has been changing a lot this year, from layouts to the YouTube Premium price increase.
Custom Feeds Took the Spotlight
YouTube announced custom feeds at Made on YouTube on September 23, 2026, and began rolling them out alongside the new bar on October 22. Tap + at the top of Home and describe what you want to see. Your feed gets its own tab.
You can make up to three feeds without YouTube Premium or eight with it. You need to be signed in, be at least 13, use YouTube in English in the US, and have watch and search history turned on. Custom feeds are unavailable on tablets, and a feed expires after 30 days without use.
A Test That Started in May
YouTube was testing a version with Subscriptions at the top of the app in May 2026. The October rollout is gradual, so you and someone else in your household can open YouTube on two phones and see different layouts.
The layout change appears to be controlled on YouTube’s servers. Updating your app may leave you with the same layout, and YouTube has given no date for when every account will receive it.
How to Get to Your Subscriptions Faster
If Subs is missing, start with watch history and your signed-in account. Once you can reach your feed, a shortcut or a channel’s notification bell can save you a trip through Home.
Turn Watch History Back On
YouTube says pausing or turning off watch history hides the feeds and the entire top bar on Home. Check your YouTube watch history controls. If history is paused and you want Subs back in Home, turn it on again.
With history on, the videos you watch can shape your Home recommendations. If the row doesn’t appear right away, close and reopen the app, then return to Home and look for Subs again.
Make Sure You Are Signed In to the Right Account
Open You and check which profile you’re using. If you use a second Google account or a Brand Account, switch to the profile you used to subscribe and open Subs again.
Your subscription list belongs to the account you used to follow those channels. If you’re signed out or browsing in Incognito, return to your signed-in profile and check whether your channels appear.
Add the Subscriptions Shortcut to Your Home Screen
Some Android users report that long-pressing the YouTube app icon brings up a Subscriptions shortcut that opens the feed directly. If your phone offers it, look for a + to pin it or see whether you can drag the shortcut onto your home screen.
On iPhone, long-press YouTube and check which quick actions appear. If Subscriptions is missing from that menu, try the browser shortcut below.
Bookmark the Subscriptions Page in Your Browser
Try opening youtube.com/feed/subscriptions in mobile Safari or Chrome while signed in. If it opens your feed, bookmark the page or add it to your phone’s home screen so you can return to it directly.
On a computer, look for the clickable Subscriptions heading above your channel list in the left sidebar. If the sidebar is collapsed, look for the Subscriptions icon or expand the sidebar with the three-line menu.
Switch Favourite Channels to All Notifications
When you subscribe to a channel, YouTube sets its bell to Personalized by default, so it picks which uploads to tell you about. For a channel you always want to hear from, look for the bell on its channel page or a video and select All.
If you unsubscribe and later subscribe again, check the bell. It can reset to Personalized or None. Channels designated as made for kids can’t send notifications, so the bell won’t give you alerts for those uploads.
Build a Custom Feed for the Channels You Care About
If you have the + button on Home, tap it and describe what you want to see. Try asking for recent uploads from a few creators you follow by name. You can reopen the feed from its own tab at the top of Home.
YouTube recommends videos based on your prompt, so the custom feed can differ from the upload list in Subs. Custom feeds are currently limited to eligible US viewers using YouTube in English, and a feed disappears after 30 days of inactivity.
Update the App and Restart It
If the top bar keeps failing to appear with watch history on, check Google Play or the App Store for a YouTube update. Install it if available, close the app completely, and reopen it on Home.
Then check which layout you have. If you still see Subscriptions in the bottom bar, you can use it there. The rollout appears to happen on YouTube’s servers, so restarting an updated app won’t necessarily change the placement.
Send Feedback to YouTube
Look for Help and feedback under You, or open the feedback form linked from YouTube Help’s page about feeds. Include whether you’re using Android or iPhone and where you expected to find Subscriptions.
If the top row disappears when you scroll, describe what you were doing when it vanished. If the extra tap is what bothers you, say that you used the old bottom tab to open your subscriptions directly.
Where Library, History and Watch Later Moved
You is where you’ll find the things you used to open from Library, including your saved videos and playlists. It also gives you a place to queue videos if you miss the filters that used to be in Subscriptions.
Everything Now Sits in the You Tab
Tap You or your profile photo at the bottom of the app. Open History for videos you’ve watched recently, or open Playlists to find your saved collections.
Look for Watch later in the same tab to open your queue. If you’ve saved videos for offline viewing, look for Downloads under You as well.
Lost Subscription Filters
Android Headlines reports that the redesigned Subs feed dropped the Unwatched, Today, and Live filters. Open Subs and check the controls you see, since your account may still have the earlier layout.
If you’re looking for streams, try Live at the top of Home. It mixes streams from channels you follow with recommendations. For uploads you want to get back to, save them to Watch later and open your queue from You.
Phone, Tablet, Desktop and TV Differences
The four-button bottom bar is part of the Android and iPhone rollout. Before looking for the same buttons on another screen, check which version of YouTube you’re using.
Android and iPhone
Both phone apps are getting the bar with Home, Shorts, Create, and You. When you see those four buttons, open Home and look for Subs at the top.
You may see the new layout on your Android phone before it shows up on an iPhone, or the other way around. If Subscriptions is still in the bottom bar on one phone, you can keep opening it there.
Tablets
YouTube says custom feeds are unavailable on tablets. If you’re using an iPad or an Android tablet, the missing + button alone tells you little about where your subscriptions are.
Check Home for Subs and look for a separate Subscriptions entry in the layout your tablet shows. You can also try the subscriptions page in your tablet’s browser.
Computer and TV
On a computer, open Subscriptions from the left sidebar. If you see a channel list there, try clicking the Subscriptions heading above it to open the full feed.
The four-button redesign described here applies to the phone app. On your TV, look for Subscriptions in the YouTube app’s own menu.
If your TV app itself will not open, our fixes for a Google TV Streamer or Chromecast not working can help.
If You Still Cannot Find Subs
Once you’ve checked the top row and your watch history, look at the buttons your account actually shows. A bottom-bar Subscriptions tab and a missing + button can tell you different things.
You May Still Be on the Old Layout
If Subscriptions is still in your bottom bar, tap it there. YouTube is rolling the redesign out gradually, so your phone may still have the earlier layout even after an app update.
If you open YouTube one day and see Home, Shorts, Create, and You, check the top of Home for Subs. That’s where the subscription feed goes when your layout changes.
Your Account or Region Has a Different Version
Custom feeds are limited to eligible US viewers using YouTube in English. Outside the US, you may see Subs in the top row without a + button for building a feed.
Check for Subs beside Home even if + is missing. Subs opens the channels you already follow, while + creates a separate feed based on a prompt you enter.
Living With the New YouTube Layout
If checking your subscriptions is the first thing you do when you open YouTube, an extra tap can get old quickly. A shortcut can save that tap, while your watch history preference determines whether you’ll see Subs on Home.
Get Used to the New Subs Location
Try opening Home and going straight to Subs the next few times you launch YouTube. That gets you to your channels before you start scrolling and the top row slips out of sight.
If your Android phone offers the Subscriptions shortcut, pin it where you can reach it easily. A browser shortcut is another option if the direct page opens your feed.
Keep Your Watch History Preference in Mind
If you pause watch history for privacy, YouTube hides the top row where Subs lives. Check that preference if Subs disappears again after you’ve been using the new layout.
If you prefer to keep watch history paused, try the direct subscriptions page in a signed-in browser. If it opens your feed, bookmark it so you can get back to it without going through Home.
Reddit made a similar move, and here is how to skip the Reddit For You feed.
FAQs
YouTube offers no official toggle to bring back the bottom-bar Subscriptions tab. The layout appears to be controlled on YouTube’s servers, so reinstalling or downgrading is unreliable. Skip sideloading an older app and try a shortcut or browser bookmark if you want direct access.
Your watch history may be paused or off, which hides the entire top bar. The row can also tuck away as you scroll down. Scroll back up first, then check your watch history if the row still doesn’t appear.
No, moving the Subscriptions tab doesn’t remove the channels you follow. Open Home and tap Subs to see them. If the feed looks unfamiliar, check which account is active in You.
Yes, you can still get upload notifications from the channels you follow. New subscriptions default to Personalized, so choose All on a channel’s bell if you want more complete alerts. Channels designated as made for kids can’t send notifications.
Open the You tab at the bottom of the app to find Watch later. Tap it to see the videos you’ve saved to watch another time.
YouTube custom feeds are currently available to eligible US viewers using YouTube in English. YouTube plans to bring them to more countries and has given no date for that expansion. You may still see Subs on Home even if you can’t create a custom feed.
