Opt out of the new UI?
byu/The_JF-JEFF inhelp
Just days after axing r/all access from the mobile apps in a “streamlining test,” as we covered earlier this week, users are now spotting a fresh UI tweak that sidelines r/popular too.
A Reddit user in r/bugs shared a screenshot of their home tab transformed: the familiar swipe-to-popular gesture is gone, replaced by a beefy “Find anything” search bar dominating the top, with “Reddit Games,” “Home,” “News,” and “Latest” crowding out quick access.
Swiping feels clunky or nonexistent, forcing folks to hunt through the top-left hamburger menu just to glimpse sitewide hot posts. Responding to the complaint, a Reddit admin mentioned the following:
We’re currently running some different UI experiments. As part of this, we’re moving the Popular feed away from the home page to the three-line menu in the top left corner of the app. You can find it at the very top of the menu. Side swiping is not currently supported in this experiment but I hear you and I’ll note your feedback with the team.
I get why Reddit’s doing this — CEO Steve Huffman said r/popular “sucks” last week, pushing for “better, more relevant” personalized feeds instead. But for power users, it’s muscle memory murder; that feed was the easy gateway to Reddit’s pulse beyond your subs, surfacing fresh chaos from everywhere. Now it’s like r/popular got demoted to a sidebar footnote, only visible if you dig past communities.
The backlash is instant. Posts in r/help beg for an opt-out, griping about the “Quora-like” vibe and missing swipes that let you flip between home, popular, and subs effortlessly.
One user noted it’s an A/B rollout, so not everyone’s hit yet. In my testing, Reddit still has it front and center, but not everyone has the same luck.
It’s part of Reddit’s endless UI tinkering ahead of bigger pushes, like phasing legacy feeds entirely. We’re hoping feedback floods their weekly recaps before this sticks, but with r/all already tucked away, don’t bet against more “streamlining.” What feed do you swear by?
Featured image credit: whydosereditexist100 / Reddit
Dwayne Cubbins
1817 Posts
My fascination with Android phones began the moment I got my hands on one. Since then, I've been on a journey to decode the ever-evolving tech landscape, fueled by a passion for both the "how" and the "why." Since 2018, I've been crafting content that empowers users and demystifies the tech world. From in-depth how-to guides that unlock your phone's potential to breaking news based on original research, I strive to make tech accessible and engaging.