YouTube Music is one of the youngest to join the music streaming services party. And within a short span, it has already become quite popular among the masses. If you’re also trying out YouTube Music for the first time, you might come across some icons and symbols that you’re probably unfamiliar with. To make your life easier, in this article, we will be explaining each icon and symbol on YouTube Music along with their meaning.
Table of Contents
YouTube Music Home Screen Symbols Meaning
1. Cast Icon
Tap this icon to directly stream YouTube Music on a TV that also supports casting.
2. Magnifying Glass Icon
Refer to this icon as Search Icon. You can use this to search for any song, video, album, or artist available on YouTube Music.
3. Profile Picture
Tapping this icon will take you to your profile page. From there, you can manage your Google account, view downloads, see music history, manage YouTube Premium membership, and more.
4. Labels at the Top
The labels or tabs you see at the top of YouTube Music’s home screen are typically collections of songs or categorized playlists curated to suit different moods, activities, or purposes.
5. More Button
Tapping this button will provide additional options for a specific song, album, playlist, or artist.
6. Play all Button
As the name suggests, tapping this icon will start playing an entire playlist or collection of songs without individually selecting each song.
7. Circle With Plus Sign
Tap this icon to create your own personalized radio playlist by picking up your favorite artist.
8. E Icon
The letter E means Explicit. When you encounter this icon alongside a song, it indicates that the lyrics contain violent, adult, sexual, or offensive language. Generally, these songs are not advisable for children or individuals who might be sensitive to such content.
9. Play Button (Home Screen)
Tapping this icon will start playing the playlist.
10. Small Play Icon With Two Wavy Lines
Consider this icon as a Radio button. Tapping it will play similar songs from the playlist, artist, genre, or album.
11. Square box With + Sign
Treat this icon as the Save button. Use this button to save any playlist to your YouTube Music Library. Once tapped, the icon will change to a square box with a checkmark symbol.
12. 3-Dotted Icon (Vertical)
Technically, this icon is referred to as the Kebab menu. You can tap it to view various options such as, start radio, play next, save to library, download, share, and more.
13. Upgrade Icon
This icon is visible to those users who have yet to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium. Tapping it will take you to the YouTube Music subscription page.
14. Clock With Reverse Arrow
Treat this icon as the History button. Tapping it will let you view all your YouTube Music history. You can remove the song from your history by tapping on the Kebab menu (3 dots icon) located next to the song and then choosing the Remove from History option.
15. Arrow Moving Upward
The arrow next to the song is an indicator that the song is currently trending, suggesting its rising popularity and widespread interest.
16. Home Icon
Tap this icon to go back to your YouTube Music Home Feed from any screen.
17. Samples Icon
Tapping the Samples icon will show you small snippets of music videos in a YouTube Shorts style fashion. This will help you discover any new or trending songs based on your interest or listening history. In this mode, you also have the option to play the full song, watch the full video, or create a Shorts video with it.
18. Explore Icon
Tap this icon to discover new song releases, view top charts, and select genres.
19. Library Icon
This is the place where you’ll find all your playlists, downloads, and songs from your device.
YouTube Music Player Symbols Meaning
1. Down Arrow Icon
Tapping this icon will minimize the music player.
2. Thumbs Up Button
This button functions as a Like button. When tapped, it registers a like for the song or video and changes its color to solid white. Moreover, selecting this option adds the song or video to your “Likes” playlist and enhances the accuracy of music recommendations.
Tapping it again will remove the like from the song/video.
3. Thumbs Down Button
View this as a Dislike button. Tapping it will add a dislike to the song/video and promptly transitions to the next track. Tap it again to remove the dislike from a video or song.
Tip: Learn how to check the dislike count on YouTube.
4. Progress Bar
This bar shows the current playback progress of the song or video you’re playing. You can also drag it to go to a certain part of the music.
5. Play/Pause, Previous and Next Button
These buttons help you control your music or video. If you tap the Previous button (left-pointing arrow), the music/video starts from the beginning. Double-tapping it goes to the previous track. Tapping the Next button (right-pointing arrow) takes you to the next song. Whereas, the Pause and Play buttons stop and start the music or video.
6. Criss-Cross Arrow
Consider this icon as a Shuffle button. Tapping it will shuffle your playlist order.
7. Two Arrows With Rectangular Rotation
If you tap it once, the icon becomes bold and sets your YouTube Music playlist in a loop.
Tap it again, and you’ll see a number 1 in the middle. This means the current song will keep playing on repeat until you turn off the feature. Tap it again to go back to the default state.
8. Bar at the Bottom of Music Player
Tap on this bar to see more choices, like the next track, lyrics, and related music and playlists.
9. Right-Pointing Curved Arrow
Refer to this icon as the Share button. You can use it to share music or video with anyone.
10. Down Arrow Icon (Download)
This button lets you download music to your device. Afterward, you can listen to music without the Internet.
11. Tick Icon
This icon indicates that the song you’re listening to is downloaded for offline playback. Tapping it will allow you to remove the downloaded music from the app.
12. 3 Lines With Plus Sign
Tap this icon to add the song or video to your playlist.
13. Square Border
That’s a Fullscreen button. Tapping it will switch the song or video to full-screen mode and tap it again to exit the full-screen mode.
YouTube Music Samples Symbols Meaning
1. Music Album Cover
Tapping this icon will give you various options, such as play, download, share, cast, etc.
2. Shorts Logo
Tap this logo to create a Shorts video using the sample music you’re currently listening to.
3. Play Button (Samples)
Tap this button to start playing the complete version of the sample song or video.
4. Three-dotted Icon (Horizontal)
This is a Meatball menu. When tapped, it will unveil a range of options, including Start Radio, Play Next, Add to Queue, Download, and more.
Decoding YouTube Music Symbols and Icons
While many of the icons and symbols on YouTube Music resemble those found on other major music streaming services, there may still be some that prove challenging to comprehend or use correctly. This article aims to provide clarity, helping you grasp the significance and appropriate usage of each symbol and icon within the realm of YouTube Music.
