YouTube test features and experiments

[June 27, 2024] Testing mentions in comments on mobile: We’re experimenting with the ability to mention YouTube channels in comments. If you’re in the experiment group, typing the “@” symbol on an Android or iOS device followed by letters or characters of a channel name / handle in a comment will trigger a recommended list of channels to choose from. From there, select the channel you want to mention > leave your comment > and the handle will appear as the clickable linked mention! While we gather feedback in the experiment phase, only a small group of creators can post comments that include mentions BUT all viewers and creators can engage with these comments 🫶

[October 10, 2024] Testing a prominent "Save" button for Shorts: To make it easier to bookmark Shorts that you love, want to return to, or want to watch later, we’re experimenting with a “Save” button in the Shorts player. If you’re a viewer in the test group, you’ll see the 'Save' icon which you can use to save Shorts to a new or existing playlist. To make room for the Save button, we moved our Shorts player menu around. In this experiment, the "Dislike" button is now housed in the 3-dot menu icon. To dislike a Short and share feedback, click the 3-dot icon in the top right of the Short you’re watching then select 👎 'Dislike' from the menu. We’re rolling this experiment out to a small number of viewers on mobile devices and we’ll keep you updated as the test progresses! 

[October 15, 2024] Testing AI-enhanced comment reply suggestions: To make it easier for creators to engage with their viewers via comments, we’re experimenting with updated, AI-enhanced comment reply suggestions that give creators editable suggestions in their own tone and style. If you’re a creator in the experiment, you’ll start to see these suggestions appear in the Comments tab or Community tab in Studio (depending on which Studio experience you have) and on the YouTube mobile app. Comment reply suggestions are completely optional and editable - if you do want to edit a suggestion, simply tap it to edit before posting the comment. This test is rolling out to a small group of creators at first and we’ll let you know when we plan to expand it to more folks!

[November 12, 2024] Testing restyled soundtracks for Shorts: We’re adding a new capability to our Dream Track experiment. This experimental feature allows a small group of creators to restyle a limited number of official songs made available by select music partners. If you’re a creator in the experiment group, you can select an eligible song > describe how you want to restyle it > then generate a unique 30-second soundtrack to use in your Short. For example, if you want to give a song a different genre or mood, you simply enter your vision into the ‘Restyle a track’ prompt and you’ll soon have a customized soundtrack that reimagines the music while maintaining the essence of the original song’s vocals and lyrics.

We’re beginning to test a new multiplayer feature for a few select games on YouTube Playables. Multiplayer on Playables lets you play games in real-time with other users. We’re starting our tests with two games: Ludo Club and Magic Tiles 3 on desktop and mobile devices. We're just getting started testing out new features for YouTube Playables with more to come in the future 👥!

[December 16, 2024] Testing voice replies to comments: We’re experimenting with a feature that enables creators to reply to comments with their voice. If you’re a creator in the test group (only on iOS) and want to try it out: Navigate to one of your videos via the YouTube app > Find a comment you want to respond to > Tap 'Reply' > Tap the sound wave icon > Record a voice reply > Post it as a comment. While we gather feedback in the experiment phase, voice replies can only be left by creators in the test group on your own channels, but all viewers and creators can engage with these comments. We hope that the voice reply experiment enables more meaningful relationships between creators and their audiences 🔊!

[March 26, 2025] Testing improved notifications experiences: We’re running a small experiment that will impact viewers who are subscribed to a channel and have set the notifications to “All” for the channel. Here’s what we’re testing:

Viewers often opt in to receive "All" notifications from many channels. When they feel overwhelmed or are no longer interested in a specific channel, instead of updating their subscription and notifications to better reflect their preferences, they simply turn off all notifications from the YouTube app entirely. It’s common for users to have turned on All notifications for a channel, only to have turned off app-level notifications [Creators can see how this impacts their channel in the Audience tab]. 

When viewers turn off all notifications from YouTube, all creators are unable to reach even their most engaged viewers outside the app. The goal of this experiment is to help us find ways to reduce this problem.