Three years ago Google launched a new look for YouTube, but allowed users to opt-out and continue using the classic interface on desktop. However, from March, that option disappears and everyone will be forced to use the "new experience."

Yesterday, a new Google support page appeared detailing how the older version of the YouTube desktop interface is being discontinued. We don't have a specific date, but the old interface is set to disappear in March, meaning if you are still using next month you'll load up YouTube one day to find a very different experience.

Hazel from the YouTube team explains in the support post that the old interface is "missing many of the new features and design improvements we've introduced over the past 3 years, including top requests based on your feedback." It was inevitable the old interface would disappear, and now it seems we've reached breaking point due to missing features.

Old interface users will now start seeing a notification asking them to "Switch to the new YouTube." As it's inevitable it's going to happen, you might as well click the notification and brace yourself for the change. There's one caveat to the switch, though. Google admits some users may be accessing YouTube in a browser that's not compatible with the new interface, which means you'll not only have to embrace the new interface, but also a new browser if you want to maintain access to YouTube.

As you can imagine, people commenting on the support page are not happy. Some don't like the new interface, others claim it's broken. But as is the case with all online services, there's very little users can do once a change has been implemented other than to hope enough people keep complaining to force another change. That's very unlikely to happen in this instance seeing as the new interface is already three years old.

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