YouTube Music Tests Fullscreen Cover Art on Now Playing Screen

Overview

• YouTube Music is running a limited test of a fullscreen cover art layout for the Now Playing screen that is available only to select users and has not been widely rolled out.
• The new layout stretches album artwork into the device status and navigation bars, changing the image from a square to a tall rectangle that can significantly crop album covers.
• Controls on the Now Playing screen have been restyled so the pill-shaped action buttons use transparent backgrounds and the app no longer pulls colors from the artwork for page theming.
• The change shows in both audio playback and music-video views and echoes portrait, Shorts-style presentation while recalling the look of Google Play Music’s old Now Playing interface.
• Because this is an experimental test, Google could revise or abandon the design before a public release, so users should wait for an official rollout or announcement for wider availability.