What you need to know

• Ask YouTube now supports conversational searches instead of relying only on simple keywords.
• Gemini Omni lets users remix YouTube Shorts with AI-generated edits and visual transformations.
• AI-generated Shorts will include watermarking, metadata, and links to the original creator's video.

Alongside expanding conversational search features to the Play Store, Google is also bringing more AI-powered features to YouTube, along with even more tools that might make AI-slop almost impossible to escape.

The Ask YouTube feature has existed for a while, allowing users to ask Gemini questions about a specific video from its listing page, but now Google is expanding it directly into YouTube's search box. Ask YouTube will now let users perform much more complex searches instead of relying only on basic keywords.

For example, instead of just surfacing videos when a user asks a complex query, like tips to help teach a child how to ride a bike, Ask YouTube will compile results from long-form videos and Shorts into what Google describes as a more structured, interactive response. Users can also continue refining searches conversationally through follow-up questions.

Ask YouTube is rolling out first for YouTube Premium subscribers aged 18 and older in the U.S. through youtube.com/new, although Google says broader rollout plans are already in motion.

Google is also heavily expanding its AI-powered creation tools through Gemini Omni integration inside YouTube Shorts Remix and the Create app.

Powered by the new Gemini Omni Flash model, the system lets users remix existing Shorts using prompts, images, and AI-generated edits while still preserving the original video's broader context. Google says creators can transform scenes into entirely different visual styles, insert themselves alongside other creators, or even generate completely new concepts through conversational editing.

According to Google, Gemini Omni will maintain scene consistency across edits, preserve characters and physics, and better understand user intent while generating changes. The company says this reduces the need for technical editing skills and allows creators to focus more on ideas instead.

To address creator concerns, YouTube says all Omni-generated videos will include digital watermarking, identifying metadata, and links back to the original source content. Creators will also have the option to opt out of visual remixing for Shorts.

Google says Omni-powered remixing tools are rolling out for free starting this week through YouTube Shorts Remix and the Create app.

Android Central's Take

Seriously, who is actually asking for all these AI remix tools? YouTube already feels flooded with low-effort AI slop, and now Google is making it even easier to mass-produce it. The search upgrades seem useful, but the creation side feels a bit excessive.

What you need to know

• YouTube is rolling out side-by-side livestream ads on mobile, after already testing them on desktop and TV.
• Ads now sit on the bottom half of the screen while the livestream continues above, keeping the video visible at all times.
• The trade-off is that livestream audio gets muted during ads and can’t be restored until the ad ends.

YouTube is working to solve a long-standing problem with livestream ads, but the new fix could end up being just as distracting in another way.

The company has confirmed to Android Authority that side‑by‑side ads for livestreams are officially rolling out to mobile. Desktop and TV users have seen this format for over a year. On your phone, you’ll now see the ad on the bottom half of the screen, with the livestream video squeezed above it.

Now, you can watch the stream the entire time, so there are no more moments where you miss part of the action during mid-roll ads.

The 'silent movie' catch

But there’s a catch: the livestream’s audio is muted while the ad plays, and you can’t turn it back on. This means viewers could miss important commentary, sudden plays, or real-time reactions because Google replaces the stream’s sound with the ad’s audio. For better or worse, it’s the trade-off for keeping the video visible.

In theory, side-by-side ads seem less intrusive than full-screen ads. But in reality, losing audio during a live moment can be just as disruptive, or even worse, since you’re watching a stream you can’t hear.

The only real way to avoid these ads is to get YouTube Premium, which costs $15.99 per month for individuals in the US or $26.99 for families. Otherwise, you can expect automated mid-roll ads to keep showing up during your favorite creators’ live streams.

YouTube’s solution borrows from the Twitch playbook. Instead of covering the video, the livestream shrinks and moves to a smaller window at the top of your screen. The ad occupies the space below, usually where the live chat or description sits. This keeps visual continuity, ensuring you never truly leave the stream.

Google hasn’t said anything about timing these ads to avoid important moments in a stream.

Android Central's Take

There is a clear benefit: viewers no longer have to guess what occurred during key moments while an ad plays. Maintaining video continuity is a significant improvement. However, this approach appears to make ads less disruptive visually, while the audio experience remains compromised. Ultimately, viewers are left watching a silent stream during advertisements.

What you need to know

• YouTube TV is rolling out customizable multiview, letting users choose which channels to watch together.
• The new interface shows recommended channels and categories like sports, news, shows, movies, and other live content.
• The feature is now rolling out widely for all YouTube TV users in the U.S.

After a few users started spotting it, YouTube TV has now officially confirmed that it has started rolling out a feature that lets users customize which channels appear in the multiview view.

Earlier this year, YouTube TV announced plans to make multiview more flexible, alongside introducing new pricing bundles for specific content. While those bundles, like the $64.99/month Sports plan and $54.99/month Entertainment plan are already live, customizable multiview streams are now starting to show up as well.

First spotted by a Reddit user and now detailed by Google in the blog post, the multiview feature in the YouTube TV app on smart TVs now lets you customize what you want to see in it.

Now, when you open multiview, you'll see a list of recommended channels along with your current selections at the top. There are also categories like Recommended, Sports, News, TV shows, and Movies to make it easier to browse. You can essentially add whatever live content you want into your multiview setup.

That said, there are still some limitations. Multiview is designed only for live content, which means you can't add video-on-demand or DVR content right now. Some family-friendly content also isn't eligible for customization. And YouTube says a small number of older devices (less than 5%) won't support the full feature, although they'll still get access during major events like the NFL or World Cup.

Google says the feature is rolling out widely and should be available to most YouTube TV users in the U.S. already. If you don't see it yet, it's likely a server-side rollout and should show up on your smart TV soon.

If you want to check whether you have it, open a live stream and press the down button on your remote to bring up the multiview menu. You should see an "Add to multiview" option along with sections for recommended channels and different categories.

It's a welcome addition, especially for users who like to watch multiple games or events at once. For someone like me, it's particularly useful during football (soccer) matches when multiple games are happening at the same time.

What you need to know

• Google is offering 50% off YouTube Premium annual plan with its $20/month AI Pro subscription for a limited time.
• The discounted price brings YouTube Premium down to $80/year and may continue at the same rate after renewal.
• The offer is limited to select countries and is only valid until April 29 for new Google AI Pro subscribers.

YouTube may have increased the prices of its Premium plans in the U.S. recently, but the company is now trying to soften the blow by offering a 50% discount for new Google AI Pro subscribers.

Google has been pushing its AI Pro plan quite aggressively lately. The company recently bumped the included storage from 2TB to 5TB at no extra cost, and now it's adding another perk to make the plan more appealing.

Google has announced that anyone who subscribes to its $20/month Google AI Pro plan will be eligible for 50% off the YouTube Premium annual plan. That means the individual plan, which now costs $160 per year in the U.S., will effectively drop to $80 for eligible users.

It's worth noting that this offer is only available in select regions, including the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, and Japan. It's also a limited-time deal that runs until April 29, so you've only got a short window to take advantage of it.

What's interesting here is that Google says once you subscribe, the YouTube Premium annual plan will continue to renew at the discounted $80/year rate, which actually makes this a pretty great deal in the long run, especially after the recent price increase.

That said, there are a few terms and conditions to keep in mind. The discounted YouTube Premium plan is only available to the Google One plan manager or family organizer, and it doesn't extend to other members in the family plan. If others want access, they'll still need to subscribe separately at full price.

Still, if you're the only one in your household looking to use YouTube Premium and want a cheaper way to get it, this is a solid option. You still get all the benefits like background playback, offline downloads, ad-free viewing, and access to newer Gemini-powered features.

What you need to know

• YouTube now lets you set Shorts usage to zero minutes, effectively limiting access from the main home feed.
• The new setting lives under Time management and adds friction by blocking the Shorts tab after the limit is hit.
• Shorts are not fully removed, as they still appear in subscriptions and can be opened via shared links.

If YouTube Shorts have been wasting your time and taking over your home feed, YouTube is finally rolling out a setting that lets you hide them, at least to some extent.

Last year, YouTube announced a feature that would let users set time limits for how long they use Shorts, and it now looks like it's finally rolling out. As spotted (and confirmed) by The Verge, the YouTube app now includes an option to set the Shorts time limit to zero minutes.

Originally, YouTube said that the time limit would range from 15 minutes to two hours, but the company has now added an option for 0 minutes as well, which effectively lets you turn off YouTube Shorts. The company confirmed that the 'zero minutes' timer is live for parents and is currently rolling out to everyone.

How this works is that you go into the YouTube app settings by tapping the profile icon in the bottom right and then the Settings (gear icon) in the top right. From there, head into Time management settings and set a daily limit for Shorts. Once you enable it, a prompt will ask you to choose the duration, where you can now select zero minutes.

Once you set it to zero minutes and try to open the Shorts tab, you'll see a pop-up saying you've reached your limit, along with options to go back or ignore it. It doesn't completely remove Shorts from the app, but it does add a layer of friction to using it.

It's also worth noting that Shorts will still appear in your subscriptions feed, and you can still open them via direct links. This setting mainly affects the Shorts tab on the home page.

The feature is rolling out now, so you should see it on your device soon.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium prices in the US are increasing across individual, family, and student plans starting next month.
• The individual plan is rising to $15.99/month, while the family plan is jumping to $26.99/month.
• The price hike comes as YouTube shows more ads to free users and cracks down on ad blockers.

Google has started informing YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. that it's increasing subscription prices starting next month, and the change isn't exactly small.

Multiple reports on Reddit (via Piunikaweb) suggest users have begun receiving official emails from Google about the price hike. In these emails, Google highlights the benefits of YouTube Premium, like ad-free viewing, background playback, and offline downloads, before confirming that the new pricing will come into effect next month.

According to these reports, the individual plan is going up from $13.99 to $15.99 per month. The annual plan is also increasing from $139.99 to $159.99. Family plans are seeing a bigger jump, going from $22.99/month to $26.99/month, while the student plan is increasing from $7.99 to $8.99 per month.

Nope not happening. Just cancelled my premium, already expensive enough. Multi-billion dollar company acting like they are going broke or something. from r/youtube

Interestingly, YouTube hasn't made any formal announcement through a press release yet. Instead, it has quietly started notifying users via email, and it hasn't clearly explained why the prices are going up this time around.

The last price increase came in July 2023, when the individual plan moved from $11.99 to $13.99 per month. This latest bump follows a similar $2 increase pattern, now taking it to $15.99 per month.

What makes this more noticeable is the timing. Over the past few months, YouTube has been more aggressive with ads for non-paying users and has also been cracking down on ad blockers. And now, even paying subscribers are seeing a price increase without much warning, which might not sit well with a lot of users.

Android Central's Take

Another price hike, and this one feels harder to justify. YouTube Premium is great — it's in fact a service that I happily pay for — but it's slowly creeping into "too expensive for what it offers" territory. Hoping Google adds more meaningful features to justify the increase (and not just things like the Ask Videos feature).

What you need to know

• YouTube is reportedly starting two tests for Premium users in its Android app, and one of which is called "one-the-go."
• This feature surfaces more convenient and friendly controls for users, placing its media buttons front and center (and large) if it detects you're moving around.
• The other feature, auto-speed, will reportedly automatically quicken your videos to help "save you time," while also keeping comprehension.

YouTube is reportedly kicking off a double experiment for Premium users this week, both focusing on two entirely different "issues."

According to Android Authority, the YouTube app on Android is informing Premium users about two new tests: on-the-go and auto-speed. The report claims the former is all about users who are watching YouTube videos while "working or multitasking." The app's splash page says that on-the-go provides "listener-friendly controls" that will appear in one of two ways. First, the app will automatically detect motion through your phone's sensors.

YouTube says these controls will appear when the app detects that you're walking or running for roughly a minute. If you're listening to a video with your phone unlocked while moving, the app will ask if you'd like to activate on-the-go. These new controls are in a sub-menu of their own, which places the play/pause, skip buttons, and next video buttons front and center.

The content's timeline is way at the bottom, alongside options to save the content. The secondary option is "manual activation." From the video's settings, users can find the on-the-go option. The last experiment, auto-speed, is said to "automatically adjust playback speed throughout the video." This one may require a little more of a hands-on approach, as YouTube says it can "save you time without sacrificing comprehension."

Auto-speed is reportedly housed in the video's playback settings menu.

Just a test

The publication states that it located these two tests within the experimental page in the YouTube app. However, YouTube hasn't posted these tests on its usual "features and experiments" page, as it typically does. Regardless, Premium may soon notice these two features appear for their videos as the week winds down.

One experiment that was posted on YouTube's typical page is "Previews" for discovering videos. This test got started a couple of weeks ago, giving users an "entry" card on the app's homepage. The card is said to provide "five to 10" previews for videos that the algorithm already thinks they'd enjoy. The previews will involve short, engaging moments from the content. Users can decide to continue watching from there or save it for later.

If you're looking to "Reimagine" Shorts you find on YouTube, that's not possible with Gemini and Veo. Find a scene, add your own reference materials, and let Veo take it away for high-quality eight-second clips.

What you need to know

• YouTube now works with Android Auto, but only supports audio playback and not video viewing on the car display.
• Google has added proper playback controls like play, pause, and skip for YouTube within Android Auto.
• Users earlier had to control playback from their phone, but now controls appear directly in the car interface.

One app that users have long wanted to work properly with Android Auto is YouTube, and now it sort of does, but you still won't be able to watch videos in your car.

If you've ever used YouTube over Android Auto, you get the audio from the video through your car, but you don't see the video playing on the head unit. That isn't changing, but Google is now rolling out proper playback controls for YouTube on Android Auto.

Usually, when you play a YouTube video in your car, you can hear the audio, but you don't get playback controls like play, pause, mute, or skip in the usual media playback control area like you do with apps like Spotify or YouTube Music. Now, though, the company is finally adding playback controls for YouTube as well.

As spotted by Reddit users (via 9to5Google), YouTube appears to be rolling out support for this. You still won't see videos on your head unit, but you can now control playback easily without having to reach for your phone.

That said, if you want background playback, you'll still need at least a YouTube Premium Lite subscription, which enables that feature. It's still not the full YouTube experience users might expect, but it does make playback control much more convenient.

Google is also rumoured to bring the full YouTube experience to Android Auto this summer at Google I/O 2026, but we'll have to wait a few more months for that.

Android Central's Take

This feels like one of those small updates that should've been there from day one. Not being able to control playback on YouTube in Android Auto always felt unnecessarily limiting. Sure, you still can't watch videos (and that makes sense), but finally getting proper controls makes the whole experience far less frustrating.

What you need to know

• A Los Angeles court jury has reached its final verdict, stating that it finds Meta and YouTube guilty of being "negligent" in the addictive nature of their social media apps.
• Kaley, otherwise referred to as K.G.M., claimed that she had become extremely addicted to YouTube and Instagram from a young age, which led to severe mental health problems.
• K.G.M. was awarded $3 million in damages, of which Meta will handle 70%.

A verdict has reportedly been reached in the trial of social media addiction that put Meta and YouTube in the spotlight.

This afternoon (Mar 25), it was reported that Meta and YouTube had "failed" to warn users, especially younger users, about the potential dangers of excessively using social media. CNBC reiterates that the trial concerned Kaley (or K.G.M.), a young woman who took these two companies (among others) to court. The plaintiff, now 20 years of age, said that she had become "addicted" to social media since she was a child. K.G.M. added that, due to her usage of such apps, her mental health declined, resulting in "mental health-related harms," per CNBC.

Mental health issues highlighted during the trial included "severe body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts." As addressed by APNews, K.G.M. argued that the "infinite scrolling" mechanic present in many social media apps was a part of its addictive nature. What's more, the constant, steady flow of notifications didn't help anything.

At one point, it was mentioned during the trial that K.G.M. had started her usage of YouTube at the age of six before joining Instagram at nine. She would reportedly remain on these apps "all day long." In their defense, Meta used her therapists in saying that none of them cited social media as "the cause" for her mental health issues. Additionally, YouTube declined its categorization as a social media app, adding that K.G.M's time on the platform rapidly declined as she aged.

Regardless, the jury found both Meta and YouTube guilty of negligence, awarding K.G.M. $3 million in damages. It has been stated that Meta is to handle 70% of this cost, leaving YouTube to take care of the rest. APNews mentions that the plaintiff also sought TikTok and Snap; however, those two settled before this ever reached the courtroom, leaving Meta and YouTube.

Is there an issue here?

While a verdict has been reached, Meta delivered a statement shortly after, stating, "We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options."

We've seen similar arguments held overseas in Australia during its social media ban. Back on December 10, Google informed Australian users that it would begin logging anyone out who was not 16 years or older. Australia's social media ban no longer excluded YouTube, so the company had no other choice but to comply. Google's counterargument stated that a ban such as this wouldn't help the problem.

Instead, it encouraged parents to look toward the available selection of parental controls to place limits on their children. One question was asked by Android Central's Jerry Hildenbrand: "Can YouTube be 'bad' for kids?" The argument by Jerry was made that, yes, it can be, but what that means will differ from parent to parent.

Android Central's Take

A trial like this is an interesting one. I'm no one would disagree that, yeah, there are dangers with anything on the internet. You can stumble across drugs or more nefarious—potentially harmful—content. Of course, it's the internet. But where I diverge, and where I agree with Jerry, is who should take responsibility: the parents. In this case, much like any other, the parent is responsible for what their child views, uses, and interacts with. I grew up in a time when such limitations were given to me, since I was always interested in computers and phones. Sure, maybe there should be a big red warning. "Hey! This could be a problem if you use it too much." Aside from that, it is the parents' job by default to do what their title entails: parent.

What you need to know

• YouTube shared the contents of its newest test for mobile app users, which brings "Previews" for discovering videos.
• Available through an entry card on the homepage, users will find "five to 10" previews for videos already recommended for them.
• After viewing, the user can choose to watch the full video, save it for later, and more.

YouTube recently shared details about a test it will run with a small group of users, designed to help you see what a video is all about.

Through its support page, YouTube's running list of test features and experiments detailed the addition of "Discover videos with Previews" (via Android Authority). While the idea of this might sound familiar, YouTube states it's bringing these Previews in a totally different way. For a "small percentage" of mobile app users, YouTube will offer these "Previews" through the entry card on the homepage.

Users will be given "five to 10" previews featuring "short, engaging moments from videos that are already recommended for you." What YouTube doesn't explain is how these previews will look. Will they be quick snippets in a landscape format for these long-form videos, or in more of a Shorts style? Either way, it seems YouTube means for these previews to just give you a taste before you hop into the full piece of content.

It states you can watch the full video right after the preview, add the video to your "watch later" list, and more. The folks at Android Authority make an interesting guess: this could be YouTube's way of helping users navigate misinformation or misleading thumbnails. This could be one aspect of it, or YouTube is simply looking to glue people to its app even more.

YouTube's got previews for your previews

YouTube started rolling out another feature to users this week, as part of its AI selection of "Remix" tools for Shorts. Users were treated to "Reimagine" earlier this week, an AI feature that lets you grab one scene from the Short you're watching to change it into something different. Users can upload two pieces of reference materials, such as a photo of themselves and their pet.

The feature will ask for a written prompt, or you can choose one that's offered by Gemini. The platform, through Google's Veo video generator, will create a short eight-second clip of whatever you've "reimagined." If you're uploading this video, YouTube Shorts will link back to the original content. We're to expect more AI features on YouTube in 2026. The platform said as much during their outlook for this year; however, it will see to it that real creators are front and center.

Android Central's Take

This feature is a little similar to what already exists on the platform. Right now, I can hover over a video on my computer or simply "hover" over a video on my phone and it'll start playing. Granted, there's no sound, but it's a preview to give you an idea of what the content looks like before clicking to see it for real. I'm not entirely sure how YouTube's new test will work in practice, I'd have to get it to know for sure. Right now, on the surface, it feels a little redundant.

What you need to know

• YouTube Shorts announced a "Reimagine" feature for its Remix selection of AI tools.
• Users can find a scene they like while watching a Short and "reimagine" it with a prompt and up to two reference materials from their gallery for an eight-second clip by Veo.
• YouTube's 2026 outlook includes even more AI, but there's a focus on ensuring real creators are the ones at the forefront.

YouTube's Remix is getting a new addition this week that lets its AI-software take new heights with what users can create (or recreate).

This morning (Mar 18), YouTube announced in a blog post that it's starting to roll out "Reimagine" for its Shorts. The service is revealing "reimagine," a tool that leverages YouTube's AI to "transform a single frame" in a Short. Reimagine is said to utilize Google's Veo AI video generation model to get this done. When watching a Short, users can open their Remix tools and tap "Reimagine."

After choosing your desired frame, users will need to decide how they want the AI to reimagine it. Gemini will have a few options for you, given the nature of the scene. However, you can write your own idea in the text box before proceeding to the next stage: your media. This is crucial, as users can plug a photo of themself into Reimagine.

Using YouTube's example, you can have the AI use a photo of you and make it seem like you're the one skydiving in the scene. Or, maybe, you're the one in the driver's seat of a race car—who knows. Once completed, Veo will generate a quick eight-second clip of you in the scene about you, your pet, or whatever was described. YouTube adds that you can submit up to "two references" for Reimagine to use when offering up photos.

Users should note that, once your reimagined Short is done, the platform will automatically display a link that takes users to the original (from which you reimagined it). YouTube didn't give an exact timeframe, though Reimagine should arrive on the platform soon.

AI continues in 2026 for YouTube

AI tools aren't slowing down on YouTube, especially for Shorts. Last year, the platform rolled out a couple of additions: Shorts Templates and Photo to Video. The former isn't really new, as YouTube first debuted it in 2024. However, what it did was bring new support that lets creators upload photos from their phones to be used in a Short. Additionally, this QoL update was alongside an AI Sticker generator feature, too.

Shortly after, YouTube Shorts added "Photo to Video," a feature that turns your static photos into animated clips. YouTube's plans for 2026 were talked about earlier this year, and it seems the platform is interested in helping creators use AI this year. YouTube added that it wasn't interested in more "AI slop," as it will prioritize what people create over the low-quality, mass-produced AI alternative.

Android Central's Take

In the grand scheme of the AI YouTube's been bringing to Shorts, this seems to fit right in. Also, it's a pretty straightforward tactic, too: find a scene you like (in a supported Short), decide how you want to "reimagine it," add your media, and you're good. All in all, it's fine. It's nothing groundbreaking, nor is it particularly creative. It's AI generated, simple as that.

What you need to know

• YouTube has approved new 30-second unskippable ads for TV viewers who are not subscribed to YouTube Premium.
• The ads are designed for big-screen viewing and will appear alongside 6-second and 15-second ad formats.
• Google's AI will dynamically choose which ad length to show based on the audience and viewing context.

YouTube currently shows ads to users who are not subscribed to its Premium membership, and it seems the company may soon make things worse for those viewers. YouTube has approved 30-second unskippable ads for people watching YouTube on TVs.

YouTube on TV has arguably become one of the best ways to consume content. I regularly watch YouTube through the app on my Google TV, and I know many others who do the same. After all, the platform lets you stream content from creators for free.

However, the company has recently been cracking down on ad blockers. Not everyone is a YouTube Premium member like me, and it now seems Google may make the experience tougher for users who are not paying.

As first spotted by Android Headlines, YouTube has approved 30-second unskippable ads for advertisers running campaigns on YouTube TV. Google confirmed the change in a recent blog post.

Google says the new 'non-skip ads' are designed specifically for the big screen. The company also says its AI will dynamically optimize between 6-second bumper ads, 15-second standard ads, and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable formats to ensure ads reach the right audience at the right time.

Now that this ad format is available for advertisers, non-paying YouTube users may start seeing longer ads on their smart TVs. This doesn't necessarily mean every viewer will get 30-second unskippable ads, but advertisers and Google's AI now have the option to serve them.

Of course, ads are necessary for the platform to operate, but this move does feel slightly aggressive. It could also be part of a broader strategy to encourage users to subscribe to YouTube Premium, especially now that the company also offers the lower-cost YouTube Premium Lite plan that removes most ads.

What you need to know

• Users report a YouTube glitch where full-screen ads won’t disappear even after tapping the dismiss button.
• The issue affects the mobile YouTube app on Android and iOS, with ads appearing in the bottom-left corner.
• Ads can linger for about 30 seconds, and many users say exiting the video or restarting the app is the only reliable way to remove them.

If you’ve watched a YouTube video in full-screen mode on your phone recently, you might have run into a new glitch where ads won’t leave the screen, even after you tap to dismiss them.

Over the past few days, multiple users (1, 2, 3, 4) have started reporting a frustrating issue where YouTube ads appear during full-screen videos and won’t go away (via PiunikaWeb).

Normally, these small overlay banners can be dismissed with a tap. But in this case, the “Dismiss” button doesn’t remove the ad, leaving it parked in the corner of the screen while the video keeps playing.

For anyone watching on their phone, it’s a pretty distracting experience.

The problem appears to affect the mobile YouTube app on both Android and iOS. Users say the ad typically pops up in the bottom-left corner during full-screen playback, usually promoting third-party apps or websites.

In some cases, the ad eventually disappears on its own after about 30 seconds. But many viewers report that the only reliable way to clear it is to exit the video entirely or restart the app. Even then, the ad may return the next time a new video plays.

This is almost certainly a bug, not a feature

This has caused a lot of confusion online. Some users wonder if YouTube added a new ad format, while others think something just broke.

If this was done on purpose, it would be a big change. YouTube has tried different ad formats before, but ads that stay during full-screen videos would probably upset many viewers. That’s why most people think this is a bug, not a new feature.

How the ad works is another clue. The interface still shows a dismiss option, but it doesn’t work. This suggests the system is malfunctioning instead of introducing a new type of ad you can’t avoid.

So far, most reports come from people using the free version of YouTube. Premium subscribers, who pay to remove ads, don’t seem to have this problem.

If you run into this problem, there are a few temporary fixes. You can try watching the video in a mobile web browser instead of the app, exit and reopen the video, or update the YouTube app to the latest version.

None of these solutions is perfect, but they can help sidestep the stuck overlay until a proper fix arrives. At the moment, YouTube hasn’t publicly confirmed whether it’s aware of the bug or working on a fix.

If this really is a software glitch, which seems likely, it will probably be fixed in a future app update. Until then, some viewers might have to put up with an ad staying in the corner for about 30 seconds.

Android Central has reached out to Google for a statement and will update this article once the tech giant responds.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium Lite starts rolling out background play and downloads for "most videos" on the platform.
• The platform states this has started rolling out where Lite is available today (Feb 24) and will continue over the "coming weeks."
• YouTube Premium Lite launched last March for $7.99, but notably lacked these two features it's receiving today.

YouTube Premium's been making moves recently, but its latest update early this week signifies additions for its cheaper subscription plan.

In a blog post, YouTube announced that its Premium Lite tier is receiving two new capabilities for subscribers. The platform states Lite subscribers will notice Background Play and Downloads available through their subscription very soon. Background Play is pretty straightforward; users can view their videos without ads, offline, and in the background on their devices.

When it comes to these new additions to the subscription plan, YouTube Premium states this applies to "most videos." It clarifies this by saying these capabilities extend to "most non-music content, excluding Shorts. Ads may appear when you search or browse." For the most part, everything should be pretty quick and snappy, getting you into content quicker without much bother.

YouTube states that these features will begin rolling out for Lite subscribers today (Feb 24) and over the "coming weeks" everywhere Premium Lite is available. It states that it will continue "testing and building products that best meet our users’ needs." If users are interested in cutting ads out entirely across more video content on YouTube, that's when the platform points you toward the larger Premium plan.

Premium Lite doesn't have to be a compromise

YouTube bringing up its continued "testing" for Premium Lite is a little funny, only because the platform had been testing it for months before its launch. One major difference between its tests and its launch was that Premium Lite first featured ads. But this in itself was a flip-flop decision, as its pilot testing program in 2023 didn't have ads. This secondary test in 2024 was only conducted in a few countries, to gauge user reception, one might guess.

Several months later, in March 2025, YouTube officially launched Premium Lite in the U.S. for $7.99 a month. Ads from videos were gone, but only for content that didn't involve music. Users notably missed out on other welcome features, such as background play and downloads, which YouTube is finally delivering today.

Android Central's Take

I remember when this talk about Premium Lite was going around due to YouTube's tests. I found it strange that, here it is, a subscription plan that you're paying for that still includes ads. That test YouTube ran for a limited selection of countries must've also given it a similar sentiment as what I've just said. A free tier should probably include ads, as it's a reliable way to sustain the platform. But if you're paying for something—paying for a service such as streamed content—shouldn't you forget ads existed?

What you need to know

• YouTube is bringing its Gemini-powered Ask feature to smart TVs as a limited experiment.
• The feature lets viewers ask questions about a video, including detailed follow-ups.
• The conversational AI tool will also work on gaming consoles and streaming devices.
• Google is testing the tool with a small group of Premium Labs users first.

Late last year, Google announced that some AI features would be coming to YouTube for TV, and now we're starting to see a few of those roll out.

Google has been steadily adding AI features across its products and services, including YouTube. While we've had Gemini's Ask feature on the YouTube app and desktop for some time, it has not been available on the smart TV app. That now appears to be changing.

The company shared an update on the YouTube Help support page stating that YouTube is gaining a conversational AI tool on TV (via Android Police). The feature will launch as an experiment, meaning it will not roll out widely right away. Instead, Google will test it with Premium Labs users before expanding availability.

The Ask button finally hits smart TVs

In addition to smart TVs, the feature will also work on gaming consoles and streaming devices. In terms of functionality, the feature will be similar to how it currently works on the desktop and mobile. This means when watching a video, you'll see a new Ask button that lets you submit prompts related to the content.

For example, you could ask what the video is about or request something more specific, such as listing Geekbench scores mentioned in a smartphone review.

Google also says you can press the microphone button on your TV remote to activate the conversational AI tool and ask questions directly, in addition to selecting the Ask icon. For now, however, the feature is limited to a small group of users.

This rollout comes shortly after YouTube experienced a major outage that left users seeing blank homepages and error messages. Alongside this AI experiment, YouTube is also testing a feature that reduces notifications from channels you rarely watch or interact with.

Android Central's Take

I haven't used the Ask feature much before, but I can see how it could be useful, especially for someone like my granddad who enjoys asking follow-up questions while watching travel vlogs or recipes. Hopefully, Google expands this to more users soon

What you need to know

• YouTube is fully back online after a major outage left hundreds of thousands staring at blank homepages and error messages.
• The culprit was YouTube’s recommendations system — the engine that powers your homepage, suggested videos, and discovery feed.
• Downdetector logged 300,000 to 350,000 reports in the U.S. alone, with additional complaints from other regions.

YouTube is working again after a widespread outage that left hundreds of thousands of users with blank homepages and error messages. The company has fixed the problem, and access is restored across its main app and related services after one of its biggest disruptions in recent months.

The main issue was with YouTube’s recommendations system, which builds your homepage feed, suggested videos, and discovery features. Videos, channels, and content didn’t appear, even though the video files were still there.

The outage affected more than just the main site. It hit YouTube.com, the mobile app, YouTube Music, YouTube Kids, and even YouTube TV logins, causing problems across the whole service. Downdetector recorded over 300,000 to 350,000 outage reports in the U.S., along with many reports from other regions.

For users, this issue was not just a random server or connection problem. The recommendation system is a key part of how YouTube works, so when it fails, it affects your homepage, suggested lists, and discovery tools.

The algorithm was the culprit

YouTube’s team quickly acknowledged the problem on social media, telling users they were aware of the access issues and would provide updates. As the outage continued, the company confirmed the cause was the recommendations system and promised a fix was in progress.

By late night in the U.S., YouTube said the homepage was working again and later confirmed that full service was restored on YouTube.com, mobile apps, and other related services.

This disruption did not delete any videos or accounts; it only stopped YouTube from showing them for a short time. Now that service is back, engineers will likely investigate what caused the recommendations system to fail to help prevent it from happening again.

What you need to know

• Users on YouTube report issues with the comments section on videos, as some say this aspect has vanished for those using adblockers.
• Many reports have piled up over the past few days, and the "solution" appears to be to simply refresh the page.
• YouTube's war on adblockers has been going on for a long while, as it's gone from "throttling" videos to glitching content for users.

Over the weekend, YouTube users were noticing strange occurrences when the comments vanished, and it looks like it's the latest tactic in its adblocker war.

Users on YouTube's subreddit have been reporting issues with the service's comments section over the past few days (via PiunikaWeb). The publication notes that there have been more than a handful of threads created on Reddit about this problem. Users claim that, when interacting with a video on their PC, YouTube is delivering the following message: "Comments are turned off."

You'd typically see this quite often in videos "Made for Kids" on YouTube, as well as content with them disabled by the content creator.

The user goes on to say, "It's weird cuz when I refresh the comments return, but everytime i click on a new video same thing happens. What's wrong?" The "refreshing" aspect is what's most curious, as other users have reported that refreshing the page when a video's comments appear to be disabled fixes the problem. The publication's research discovered that this issue is plaguing users on Chrome, Brave, Edge, Opera GX (not the first time), and other web browsers; however, another report might've hit the nail on the head: this could be an anti-adblock tactic.

Another report claims this is only occurring when an adblocker is in play. Regardless, refreshing the page is still seemingly the true "fix" for what's going on. As PiunikaWeb states, this could just be a coincidence, as this problem might not have anything to do with adblockers at all.

It's been a long fight

YouTube's been waging war against adblockers for a while now, and every so often, the tactics change up, like when it was glitching videos for users. Users who had adblockers enabled noticed that their YouTube videos would either skip to the end or be muted. Those rocking AdBlock Plus noticed this issue quite consistently at the time. When this was brought to YouTube's attention, the company denied any such tactics to deter users.

The tactics changed last summer when people with adblockers noticed that their YouTube videos were slowing down. Reports said the company was "throttling" videos, as users received an "Experiencing interruptions?" message when loading content.

Android Central's Take

I feel like there's this duality of man when it comes to topics like this. On one hand, we all know ads exist and why we have them: it's to help fund the website and its many innerworkings. On the other, you have users who are tired of ads, who see them constantly, and who just want to watch their video without having something extra. It's probably unwise to think that we'll ever be rid of this "war on adblockers," as things continue to change on YouTube moving forward.

What you need to know

• YouTube is testing a change where selecting "All" notifications no longer guarantees you'll receive push alerts for every video from a channel.
• If you rarely watch or interact with a channel, YouTube may stop sending you push notifications even if you explicitly requested them.
• Videos will still appear in your Subscriptions feed and in-app notification inbox, but your phone won't buzz for channels you ignore.

Google is testing a change that could stop push notifications from some channels, even if you’ve chosen “All.”

In a new experiment, YouTube is limiting push notifications from channels when users rarely engage with them. Even if you picked “All” on a creator’s page, you might not get a push alert for every upload. Instead, those videos could just show up in your app’s notification inbox, without making your phone buzz.

The test began early in 2025. YouTube says it wants to cut down on notification fatigue. Over time, people have subscribed to hundreds of channels, often hitting “All” without thinking about how overwhelming it can be. If you stop opening or interacting with those notifications, YouTube may see that as a reason to send fewer push alerts.

The company says that if people ignore too many notifications, they might turn off YouTube notifications completely. This test is supposed to help keep users engaged by sending fewer, more relevant push alerts.

Engagement now dictates alerts

Your subscription status doesn’t change. You’re still subscribed, and you can still find new uploads in the Subscriptions tab or your notification inbox. But now, “All” doesn’t guarantee you’ll get real-time push alerts for every video.

This change matters even more for creators. Many depend on notification spikes to get early views, which help with YouTube’s recommendation system. If loyal subscribers stop getting push alerts, that early boost could fade. This is especially tough for smaller channels that rely on their most dedicated fans.

YouTube hasn’t shared how long this test will last or if it will be rolled out to everyone. For now, like most experiments, it’s only affecting a small group of users.

Android Central's Take

I admit, I'm as guilty as anyone. I’ve hit the bell for dozens of channels, thinking I’d keep up, but then I end up swiping away 15 notifications a day from creators I haven’t watched in months. Eventually, I get so annoyed that I think about muting the whole app. YouTube’s experiment tries to stop that from happening.

The upside is that when I get a push notification now, it actually matters. It’s from a channel I still care about, not just one I subscribed to ages ago. For creators, it means the people who get those alerts are more likely to click, watch, and engage.

Is it annoying that YouTube doesn’t just stick to my settings? A bit. But if the result is a notification feed I don’t want to mute forever, I’m okay with YouTube nudging me in this direction. Just remember to hit the like button on the channels you care about, because now your engagement is what gets you those push notifications.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium announces an AI-generated playlist feature is arriving for on its app, and Music Premium users are included, too.
• Users can use this by tapping "new" in the Library tab and tapping "AI Playlist" to begin chatting with the AI.
• YouTube introduced "taste match" playlists for Music users last year, as well as an AI test for playlist artwork.

YouTube's rolling out an update for its Premium users across the board that adds a new AI feature for playlist creation.

The platform announced its update via an X post, stating that YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscribers will soon find "AI Playlists" available in the app. From your Library tab, YouTube states users can navigate to the plus icon (New) to find an AI Playlist option available to interact with. The app will simulate a chat thread with the AI, letting users instruct the bot on what they want it to create.

After a brief moment, the AI will provide its results. Users can then save that playlist or, what's also likely, redo their instructions for something more refined.

YouTube adds that users can also use their voice to speak to the AI, rather than typing out their request. The post adds that users can "instantly turn an idea, mood or genre into a personalized playlist using our new AI playlist feature." The rollout still appears to be quite slow for Premium and Music Premium users, as many in the X thread haven't seen it yet.

Those who have gotten their hands on it are already critiquing the feature. Some users seem to want more personalization and customization (such as the ability to be more in-depth), while others are seemingly receiving the wrong set of music.

Musical genius

YouTube's slowly been ramping up the amount of AI present in its playlists for Premium users. Recent updates include "taste match," a feature that lets users combine their musical interests with others. These joint playlists are updated daily, and feature profile icons beside songs to show whose taste profile its come from. At times, you'll match, though there are times when you both might find something new.

Elsewhere, YouTube Music launched an AI-generative test for artwork creation. This artwork test was for playlists, giving users a way to customize the faces of their playlists. YouTube gave testers options such as theme, as well as the ability to edit descriptions to guide the AI in the right direction. This latest AI playlist generation update comes days after users noticed that YouTube Music removed lyrics from free users, locking them behind a paywall.

Android Central's Take

For years, YouTube TV offered a cable-like subscription service with a high price and tons of supported channels. There is no "cord," but the currently $82.99/month subscription with over 100 networks is certainly reminiscent of cable plans. Although YouTube TV is one of the most value-focused ways to get that many channels in a single streaming service, it faced many of the same problems as cable — people were paying for extra channels they didn't need.

That's finally changing now, as YouTube TV announced tailor-made plans that match certain interests with fewer, more focused channels. There's a Sports Plan, Sports and News Plan, Entertainment Plan, and the News, Entertainment, and Family Plan. The primary, all-inclusive YouTube TV plan is still on offer, but the four above alternatives will add some much-needed variety and customization to the platform.

Personally, I'm excited about YouTube TV's Sports Plan. If you're a sports fan, you probably already know that a ridiculous amount of subscriptions are required to follow your favorite team for an entire season. With the YouTube TV Sports Plan, the idea is that you can finally watch your team using just one subscription. It's available for $64.99 per month for new users or $54.99 per month for new users for one year, which is pretty competitive when you consider the cost of alternatives.

While it's not for everyone, YouTube TV's new Sports Plan feels like it was made for me, and I think it's finally time for me to switch.

Why I'm switching to YouTube TV's Sports Plan

I watch most sports leagues occasionally, but my passion is college basketball. That is a tough sport to follow for an entire season without subscribing to every streaming service under the sun. My favorite conference, the Big East, streams games on Fox Sports, NBC Sports, TNT Sports, and ESPN. That means I'd need, at a minimum, subscriptions to FOX One, Peacock, HBO Max, and ESPN Unlimited to follow one Big East basketball team for the year.

FOX One is $20 per month, Peacock Premium is $11 per month, HBO Max Standard is $18.50 per month, and ESPN Unlimited is $30 per month. Combined, that's nearly $80 monthly or over $950 for the year. That's the price of the four subscription services I need to watch my college team (St. John's) play in the Big East. It's outrageous.

YouTube TV's Sports Plan has the channels to replace each of those streaming services. It offers the major broadcast networks required to watch primetime games, which are ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW, and Ion. The Disney suite of sports channels is covered by ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, NFL Network, SEC Network, and the ACC Network. There's also FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, CBS Sports Network, and NBC Sports Network. Every channel I need to watch a season of college basketball is included.

While not necessary for my needs, the Sports Plan also includes USA Network, Golf Channel, and NBA TV.

That's an incredible lineup that lets fans of certain sports follow an entire season of coverage with a single subscription. We took that for granted when cable TV was ubiquitous, but in the streaming era, it's unprecedented. It's all for $55 per month with the new-subscriber rate — saving me about $25 each month compared to what I was paying for FOX One, Peacock, HBO Max, and ESPN Unlimited individually.

What's great about this grouping specifically is that it cuts out the non-sports fluff that pads out the base YouTube TV subscription. Buying the standard $83 monthly YouTube TV subscription wouldn't save me any money. On the flip side, the focused Sports Plan absolutely will save me money — and a lot of it.

What's missing from YouTube TV's Sports Plan

Notably, full ESPN Unlimited access won't be available until this fall. Games streamed on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, or Paramount Plus exclusively won't be available, either. Some games available on those streaming services aren't simulcast on cable networks, so a YouTube TV Sports Plan won't save you from subscribing to them.

That said, it all depends on which sports and teams you follow. In my case, using YouTube TV's Sports Plan will save me about $25 in my quest to watch as many Big East college basketball games as possible, and I'm thrilled.

What you need to know

• YouTube Music users had a rude awakening over the weekend, as they report the service's lyrics have moved behind a red, Premium paywall.
• Now, free-tier users are given a banner that reportedly gives them five chances to view song lyrics before their limit is reached and they're gone.
• Spotify attempted to do the same years ago, but user backlash pushed it to return lyrics to all users.

YouTube's music service is leaving users in disbelief after a report claims the company's locking away a nice feature behind a paywall.

Over the weekend, a user reported a change on the YouTube Music subreddit, stating that the service's lyrics are a no-show for free-tier users (via GSMArena). The user states that lyrics are "gone for non-premium users." Their provided screenshot shows off the warning free-tier users now receive when, seemingly, going past their allotted lyric limit.

The screenshot shows a banner that appears when attempting to view a song's lyrics beyond your limit. It states, "You have 0 views remaining. Unlock lyrics with Premium."

More and more user reports have appeared on the subreddit, many of them voicing displeasure with the sudden change. This particular report shows their banner reading "3 views remaining," though GSMArena noticed that the number starts at five before dwindling. By that logic, it looks like free-tier users can only view lyrics for five songs before they're gone.

What's not clear is when this refreshes, so users can view a track's lyrics again. This change appears quite recent, as many reports started appearing around this past weekend. The publication highlights that YouTube Music tested this change late last year, and this seems to be the fruit of that test run.

Changes, changes

YouTube Music reportedly started a limited test for "real-time lyric translations" last year. This was something that rolled out to a small group of Premium subscribers. The feature would work on your device (in the app) to translate a song's lyrics to your preferred language. It's a convenient and welcome feature for users wanting to expand their musical horizon.

Premium subscribers were given a "Translate" button when viewing lyrics during the test to try it out. Funnily enough, while YouTube Music has tried to take a page out of Spotify's book for its AI DJ, it's done a complete reverse on lyrics. It's competition made lyrics available for offline downloads and brought lyric "previews" to users globally.

Spotify attempted to guard lyrics behind its Premium paywall years ago, but that quickly backfired, and the service returned them to all users.

Android Central's Take

This change is a spicy one, for more reasons than one. It's the big 2026, and it seems weird to begin locking features as small as lyrics behind a paywall. Hell, lyrics are available for subscribers and free-tier users on Pandora. More than that, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reported $400 billion in earnings in Q4 2025. Right now, there's an uproar on Reddit about the change, with users standing on both sides of the line. It's not clear if there are enough raised voices to have the change reverted, as YouTube Music will likely make a decision that's in its own "best interests."

What you need to know

• Google has closed a loophole that let Android users play YouTube videos in the background without a Premium plan.
• The workaround relied on mobile browsers like Samsung Internet or Brave to enable background playback for free.
• Google says background playback is meant to stay exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers on mobile devices.

Google has officially confirmed that it is closing a loophole that allowed Android users to play YouTube videos in the background for free.

YouTube Premium offers several perks, including an ad-free experience, the ability to download videos for offline viewing, and background playback on mobile devices. Until now, however, many users have relied on a workaround to access background playback without paying.

Android users commonly used third-party browsers like Samsung Internet, Brave, or Vivaldi to open YouTube's mobile website and accessed background playback from there. Google has now confirmed that this workaround no longer works.

In a statement to Android Authority, Google confirmed that YouTube has been updated so non-Premium users can no longer access background playback through mobile web browsers. The company reiterated that background playback is intended to be exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers.

Early reports of the workaround breaking surfaced via PiunikaWeb, with users noticing that the feature had stopped working. Google has now confirmed that this behavior is intentional.

Now, when you play a YouTube video in a web browser using a non-Premium account and lock your device, playback controls disappear from the lock screen. You can't resume playback manually either. Even tapping the play button does nothing, as YouTube appears to be blocking background playback entirely on its end.

Android Central's Take

This move felt inevitable. Google has already been cracking down on extension-based ad blockers, and closing this loophole fits that broader approach.

While the company is within its rights to reserve the feature for YouTube Premium subscribers, background playback still feels like a basic feature. Even as a Premium subscriber myself, I know plenty of people who relied on this loophole, and its removal is definitely going to sting.

Each year, YouTube shares its "big bets" for the year ahead, and the company revealed its four main priorities for 2026 in a blog post this week. Unsurprisingly, AI creation and viewing tools were one of YouTube's big bets for 2025 — and the platform is doubling down on the technology as we enter 2026. Notably, while YouTube also mentioned AI guardrails last year, the company plans to push back even harder against AI "slop" and deepfakes over the course of 2026.

YouTube says that its creators are "reinventing entertainment" as they produce studio shows and buy Hollywood lots to level up from user-generated content to something more. The brand also touted that YouTube Shorts average 200 billion daily views, and previewed other kinds of posts entering the Shorts feed. Secondly, YouTube is laser-focused on making the platform safe for kids and teens, not excluding them from it.

Then, YouTube reaches the elephant in the room, which is AI. It compares AI tools in video creation to the synthesizer, Photoshop, and CGI. Is that a fair comparison, or is AI a greater threat to the spirit of user-generated content creation?

YouTube is leaning harder into AI creation in 2026

AI isn't going anywhere on YouTube — in fact, it has been "the quiet engine" driving innovations and features on the platform for years, according to the post. However, YouTube seems to be taking a more measured stance on AI this year, acknowledging potential pitfalls and the need for transparency.

YouTube says more than one million channels used the platform's AI creation tools daily in December 2025. It's also helping creators in other ways, like content moderation for comments or age verification for viewers. In fact, YouTube has gone as far as to use an AI-powered system to figure out the best time to show a YouTube Shopping product tag in a video.

That's nothing compared to what YouTube is planning to use AI for later this year, though. The platform is teasing AI-generated YouTube Shorts that use a creator's own likeness. Soon, you might see AI-generated creators on your YouTube Shorts feed. Additionally, the platform will add AI-generated games and music experiments, all leveraging AI, to YouTube.

Still, YouTube promises that "AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement."

YouTube is taking a hard stance against deepfakes and slop"

While there's still plenty of room for AI optimism at YouTube, it's nice to see YouTube acknowledge the real concerns about AI-generated content on the platform. Specifically, YouTube is reinforcing its commitment to transparency. It requires creators to disclose when realistic altered or synthetic content is shared on the platform, and YouTube itself labels content created or edited by YouTube AI.

YouTube is also evolving the existing Content ID system to help creators spot and manage when AI-generated content uses their likeness on the platform. From the legal perspective, YouTube is supporting legislation restricting deepfake content, including the NO FAKES Act.

Crucially, YouTube has an AI "slop" problem, and it knows it. By slop, we mean "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence." It has a definition because Merriam-Webster named "slop" its 2025 Word of the Year. That's how prolific low-quality, AI-generated content is on the internet today.

YouTube is taking a stand against slop, weighing its goal of offering a place of free expression against a need for high-quality content.

"To reduce the spread of low quality AI content, we’re actively building on our established systems that have been very successful in combatting spam and clickbait, and reducing the spread of low quality, repetitive content," YouTube explained in the post.

From a viewer perspective, YouTube watchers can expect AI to continue impacting the streaming experience, with features like the Ask tool or autodubbed content.

YouTube is still putting creators first in 2026

AI is a touchy subject for creators, and for good reason. However, it looks like YouTube will continue putting creators first, even as AI tools become commonplace in the creation and editing processes. These current tools are optional, and YouTube is taking critical steps to fight slop and deepfakes.

That should resonate well with creators. Perhaps the bigger point of impact for YouTube is that it continues to value creator content. It does an excellent job compensating creators for their work, and YouTube highlighted that by the numbers. It paid over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over just a four-year span, and that's a staggering figure.

What's even more impressive is YouTube's claim that its creator ecosystem "contributed $55 billion to GDP and supported more than 490,000 full-time jobs."

If YouTube continues supporting creators, both by offering monetary incentives and by building AI tools that help them instead of try to replace them, 2026 should be another big year for the platform.

What you need to know

• YouTube detailed a change rolling out to its platform that involves its search filters and content discovery.
• Now, users will find a new Shorts filter when searching, as well as renamed "Prioritize" and ""Popularity" options.
• YouTube states that some of these options will only display popular content relevant to your query, while others cut out long-form content for Shorts.

Filtering out content, on any platform, is a useful tool to have, which is why YouTube is rolling out several updates this week.

Late this morning (Jan 8), YouTube posted the details regarding a content discovery update, which concerns how users interact with its search filters. When it comes to filtering out content, YouTube says it's making the process simpler this week. Two options are out: Upload Date - Last Hour and Sort by Rating. While important filtering choices, YouTube says users can achieve the same end by utilizing an "Upload Date" option and the "Popularity" filter choice.

With the house cleaning done, the more substantial portion of this update concerns new filters and some subtle changes.

YouTube states that, for "dedicated content types," it's rolled in a Shorts filter to the "Type" menu. If Shorts is selected, of course, the search results will prioritize those over long-form video content. It also makes sense that YouTube would bring Shorts here, considering how incredibly popular they are with viewers.

As for the changes, YouTube says it's renaming the "Sort By" menu to "Prioritize." This is designed to attract more attention and hopefully drive more engagement for users looking to fine-tune their content. Second, the "View Count" filter is now "Popularity." The goal here is to help users discover video content that's hot, popping, and relevant to their initial query. Watch time and view count are taken into account during this search process.

These updates are slowly rolling out, so users may begin seeing them soon. We have not seen them appear yet at Android Central; however, 9to5Google has spotted them.

The content you want to see

Outside of refining content discovery in search results, YouTube started a test before 2025's end for Shorts. This test was in a similar vein, as the platform started testing a "dislike" button change for users. The thumbs down button was often an object of mystery for some users, so YouTube said it merged "dislike" and "not interested" into one button.

The platform said that, in its research, most users used the two buttons "interchangeably." Moreover, users weren't really sure about the differences between the two. The test would offer users one option or the other (dislike or not interested). YouTube states that users would see a short survey after hitting the thumbs-down button.

The purpose of this button is to help users weed out the type of content they'd rather not see, which can happen from time to time.

What you need to know

• YouTube Music is adding AI-generated backgrounds to lyric cards.
• Previously, users could only choose between solid-color backgrounds for lyric card sharing.
• Now, there's an option to liven up lyric cards — which can be saved to your device or shared with other apps — using generative AI.

Google is upgrading the lyric sharing feature in YouTube Music to add a touch of AI in its latest test. The experimental tool makes it possible for users to generate custom AI backgrounds for lyric cards as an alternative to a solid color. After generating an AI image, users can save the finished lyric card to their device or share it with third-party apps.

YouTube Music's AI-generated lyric card backgrounds are widely available across both free and Premium accounts on iOS and Android, as first spotted by 9to5Google. When viewing lyrics for a song in the YouTube Music app, the Share floating action button now has a Gemini sparkle icon, signifying the new AI-powered capabilities.

YouTube Music warns that you are "Creating with AI" when generating backgrounds, adding that "AI-generated images are based on text prompts and may sometimes fail to follow YouTube's policies, so use discretion before using them." You have to hit Accept to acknowledge these warnings the first time you try to create a song lyric background with AI.

When beginning to share a lyric card, a new AI background button will appear mixed in with the existing solid colors. After generating an image, which can take a few seconds, the button will turn into a refresh icon that'll give you the option of regenerating a new background.

The backgrounds generated with AI add a bit of variety to YouTube Music lyric cards. It may be Google's answer to Genius lyric cards, which use lifestyle photos of artists and album art to spruce up shared lyrics. However, the AI-generated backgrounds don't always match the theme of the song or the content of the lyrics.

YouTube Music's lyric cards include a miniature version of the song's album art, the track title, and the artist name. There's a large YouTube Music logo, and you'll now have the choice of either a solid-color background or an AI-generated one.

You can try out the latest AI-powered YouTube Music feature now in the iOS or Android app.

Billboard is a staple of the music industry, and the publication has been tracking the top-selling albums each week since 1940. Of course, the way we consume music has undergone multiple significant changes since then. Most recently, music streaming has completely taken over the industry, with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reporting streaming accounts for 84% of recorded music revenue in the U.S.

Since 2005, YouTube has been one of the biggest music streamers, especially for music videos. The platform began contributing to Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in 2013, and started influencing the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart in 2019. In other words, YouTube has impacted at least one Billboard chart for more than a decade, but that's all changing next month.

Starting on Jan. 16, 2026, YouTube will stop reporting streaming data to Billboard. YouTube streams will no longer influence Billboard's top singles or albums charts, which instantly changes how the most popular songs on YouTube perform on the leaderboards. Whether you're a casual YouTube streamer or a die-hard music love, this change is going to affect you one way or another.

Why YouTube won't report to Billboard next year

In 2025, tracking the performance of albums and songs is a complicated effort. Music streams, album purchases, and everything in between need to be accounted for. Charts like Billboard use "album units" to gauge a song or album's relative success. One complete album sale equals an album unit, but multiple individual song purchases, paid song streams, or free and ad-supported song streams can add up to equal an album unit.

YouTube takes exception with that last part of Billboard's album unit calculation — free or ad-supported streams and paid streams aren't counted equally. If you stream a song on Spotify with a subscription, it'll be worth more than a free YouTube stream. Specifically, here's how Billboard currently calculates an album unit for its charts:

YouTube has had "extensive discussions" with Billboard about its calculations, according to a blog post. Billboard announced plans to add more weight to both paid and free streams earlier this month, which will take effect starting with Billboard charts dated Jan. 17, 2026. Thereafter, an album unit will equal 2,500 ad-supported streams or 1,000 paid or subscription on-demand streams.

"The change means that it will take 33.3% fewer ad-supported on-demand streams of songs from an album, and 20% fewer paid/subscription on-demand streams of songs from an album, to equal an album unit," according to Billboard.

So, while Billboard is narrowing the gap between paid and ad-supported streams starting next month, it hasn't met YouTube's demand. The Google-owned streaming platform wants full value parity between ad-supported and paid streams. Billboard isn't budging, at least for now, and thus YouTube is pulling its data from Billboard charts one day before the new streaming values take effect.

In YouTube's blog post, authored by global head of music Lyor Cohen, the company also pointed out that YouTube's music streaming data includes a mix of paid and ad-supported streams. Some stream with the ad-free YouTube Premium subscription plan, while other stream with the ad-supported free version of YouTube.

A spokesperson for Billboard said in a statement that "there are so many ways a fan can support an artist they love, and each has a specific place in the music ecosystem."

"Billboard strives to measure that activity appropriately; balanced by various factors including consumer access, revenue analysis, data validation and industry guidance," the spokesperson for Billboard continued. "It is our hope that YouTube reconsiders and joins Billboard in recognizing the reach and popularity of artists on all music platforms and in celebrating their achievements through the power of fans and how they interact with the music that they love."

Right now, it appears that both YouTube and Billboard recognize their mutualistic relationship in the music streaming industry, and left the door open for YouTube data returning to the charts. However, neither Billboard nor YouTube sounds ready to concede on the hard stances they've taken on album unit consumption weighting.

What it means for YouTube users and the music industry

For users, there will be an impact to the way you consume music on YouTube, with the severity depending on how much you care about supporting your favorite artists. If you want your top songs or albums to help an artist climb the Billboard Hot 100 or Hot 200 charts, you probably shouldn't stream on YouTube after Jan. 16, 2025.

Additionally, if you follow Billboard charts, expect overall streaming numbers to diminish immediately following the change, as music videos get billions of streams on YouTube. With those streams soon to be no longer factored into Billboard charts, the number of album units calculated overall will almost certainly be lower than usual. Songs, albums, and artists that earn more streams on YouTube than other platforms may see a considerable charting hit compared to others.

There's also a wider industry concern that music releases on YouTube could be deprioritized by artists and publishers if they are not making an impact on the Billboard charts, which are crucial for gauging an album or song's success. This sentiment is shared by TechCrunch, and if this turns out to be the case, it could directly affect people who stream music via YouTube.

My take on YouTube's decision to pull out of Billboard charts is that with this move, everyone loses. Billboard's data becomes less accurate as it misses out data from a key platform that represents billions of streams. YouTube gives die-hard music fans less of a reason to stream on its platform, and potentially strains its relationship with artists and publishers. And users could see fewer songs uploaded to YouTube if publishers don't find the platform as attractive.

YouTube's hard stance on counting ad-supported and paid streams equally is the wrong one. It leaves no room for compromise and would require Billboard to rework its entire notion of an album unit's worth. Instead, the two companies should work together to find a middle ground, because everyone wins when YouTube contributes to Billboard charts.

What you need to know

• YouTube Shorts starts a test for users, involving its dislike and "not interested" options.
• The post states that its thumbs down button will merge these two options into one; however, users who see this test will see one option or the other listed in the three-dot menu.
• As YouTube Shorts looks to help users refine their scrolling, its recently started tests for its Music app, adding "AI music hosts."

YouTube is starting a new experiment that requires users to watch its short-form content and express what they're not interested in.

YouTube's "features and experiments" changelog thread detailed a test kicking off this week for Shorts that concerns its dislike button (via Android Authority). The purpose of this test, according to the platform, is to help address the confusion between Shorts' dislike and "not interested" buttons for content. YouTube states user feedback shows that most use these buttons "interchangeably," but some "aren’t sure what the differences are."

The thumbs down button is already hidden behind the three-dot menu on Shorts, which is where YouTube is running the test.

Starting this week, YouTube states its test will involve merging the "not interested" and "dislike" options for content into one—the thumbs down. While they're incorporated, the changelog states some testers will see it marked as one option or the other. YouTube adds, "All viewers in the experiment who click 'thumbs down' on a Short will receive an optional feedback survey."

YouTube Shorts aims to bring clarity as it assists users in refining their content loop, so they're not met with videos they'd rather not see.

If you don't like it, let them know

There's no hiding that YouTube Shorts has become an incredibly popular addition for the platform, as it sought to step into short-form content to combat TikTok. Tests like this latest one are a necessity, as wide-ranging as video content is.

Aside from this Shorts test, YouTube Labs kicked off a test this fall that reminded users how seriously it's taking AI. This test brought in YouTube Music users to experiment with "AI music hosts." These "hosts" provided commentary, facts on the music you're listening to, and trivia. According to YouTube, these AI hosts can "deepen your listening experience" with stories about the music and the overall more "personalized" vibe that it creates, tailored to your tastes.

YouTube's since brought in AI for Shorts, giving short-form creators access to "Photo to video" tools. Creators could turn still shots into short animations for whatever their project is. YouTube Shorts leveraged Veo 2's generation software to get this done. However, the platform said users could expect Veo 3 to enter the fold to really up the ante on what its AI generator could do.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium is reportedly sending emails to subscribers about a 40% discount on a Pixel 10 series device for the Google Store.
• Consumers have until December 31, 2025 to grab their unique code and checkout.
• Earlier this week, Google knocked the Pixel 10 Pro down by $250; however, "select" Google Play Points members can grab an extra $200 off.

It's the holidays, and while everyone else has been getting in on the deals, so is YouTube Premium for Pixel phones.

Late this week, YouTube Premium reportedly began emailing its subscribers information on how to take advantage of a huge Pixel phone deal (via 9to5Google). Per the publication, the email features a "unique code" that Premium subscribers can input for a whopping 40% discount on a Pixel 10 series phone. The service highlights that users can "enjoy all the videos and music" they love, which is just a nod to its own online content.

The code that YouTube Premium is dishing out is to be used on the Google Store when checking out with a Pixel 10 series model in your cart.

According to 9to5's diligent math, this discount would knock the Pixel 10 Pro XL's price down from $1,199 to ~$770. There are likely taxes involved there for your place of residence, so keep that in mind. That's not all, as YouTube Premium's holiday wishes come with a warning: this deal won't last for long. Subscribers only have until December 31 to take advantage of this 40% discount on Pixel 10 phones.

That leaves us with a week and six days to get to it. Furthermore, 9to5 reports that not all subscribers are receiving this email yet. It also seems that YouTube is focusing on those who are truly subscribed, potentially leaving out those on a free trial or something similar.

Get those Premium perks

This isn't the only Pixel 10 series-related discount to float around this December. Early this week, Google Play Points members got an extra $200 off the Pixel 10 Pro on top of Google's pre-existing $250 discount. The additional discount knocked the device down to $549 on the Google Play Store. This deal, while appealing, was only gifted to "select" Play Points members. Users are able to check their eligibility via the Play Store Perks tab.

Much like this YouTube Premium discount, users shouldn't wait if they're interested. The Play Store Points deal runs from December 15 to December 27, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

In other news, Google is working on some damage control for consumers with a Pixel 9 Pro. Some consumers encountered faulty displays with the model, so Google is offering free repairs through its extended repair program. This covers devices three years post-purchase date to mitigate the frustrations users have faced.

It often takes a while to truly understand the long-term health risks associated with something new. When social media became prevalent on smartphones and in schools, we didn't know how it would affect young people. Now, it's clear that social media use does negatively affect kids, with an advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General stating that "types of use and content children and adolescents are exposed to pose mental health concerns."

Although experts and regulators are beginning to acknowledge that social media use at a young age poses risks, no one can agree on what to do about it. Some countries, like Australia, are enacting outright social media bans. In the U.S., individual states and school districts are banning cell phones in schools while legislators mull what to do at the national level.

Bans might sound like an easy solution to a complicated problem, but teenagers are more optimistic about the future of technology and how it can be used for good, according to a Google-commissioned study. A recent analysis by Jeffrey DeMarco, a senior technical advisor for Save The Children, sends a clear message: "the fix is not a blanket prohibition."

What the research study found

Google's study asked over 7,000 teenagers from across Europe what they want to get out of technology, and what they see as its future. Although the study was commissioned by Google, it was conducted separately by youth consultancy group Livity. It found that most teenagers already use social media and technology for learning. In the case of AI, students think they should be learning more about using it responsibly.

Australia's social media ban now covers YouTube, posing a problem for teens who have grown up using the platform for learning. The research study found that 74% of polled European teenagers have watched YouTube videos to learn something new for school. On a broader scale, nearly 84% of respondents said they watch educational or how-to videos at least a few times per week, and over a third say they watch these types of videos daily.

The study paints a picture of social media being a genuine learning tool for teenagers, and outright bans remove that element completely. "The point is not that feeds are not without their pitfalls and challenges, but that for the majority of teens, feeds are where they learn," writes DeMarco, the forensic psychologist who leads the Safer Digital Childhood program for Save The Children. "They are their classrooms, and they are asking for smarter, safer ones."

Pretending social media and AI don't exist won't help anyone

As my colleague Jerry Hildenbrand rightly points out, kids are smarter than all of us. They'll thwart outright social media bans or restrictive measures without thoughtful guidance. I know because I was one of those kids not too long ago, bypassing my school network's internet blocklist with VPNs on a school-issued iPad (sorry, teachers). Young people will always find a workaround because they've grown up with technology, while the rest of us are forced to learn it.

If social media is banned and AI use is neglected in schools, kids risk being left behind. The research study revealed that 96% of older European teens used AI in the past year, and 40% of teenagers use it daily or almost daily. Young people are recognizing AI's value as a learning tool while also recognizing its risks. They'd rather see "clear, age-appropriate guardrails" instead of outright bans.

"That means spelling out what is OK, what is not, how to cite, how to verify," writes DeMarco. "That is what the teens are implicitly asking for, and the report’s recommendations explicitly call for through curriculum-level AI and media literacy, age-appropriate experiences and harmonized standards that preserve access to information while protecting younger users."

It's worth acknowledging that teens may be better at understanding the risks of AI and misinformation than adults. This particular study revealed that 55% of teens consider whether content is trustworthy, and 46% look for multiple sources for verification. Anecdotally, I've had to explain to my parents what "parody" accounts are on X and the realism of deepfakes, but the younger people in my life are already tuned into the situation.

Another factor to consider is whether limiting social media and AI use among adolescents could hold them back in the future. In a November 2025 commentary by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, economic experts acknowledged "some of the long-standing job market advantages offered by having a college degree may be eroding." As artificial intelligence continues to impact the job market, recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveals that young college graduates are having a harder time finding jobs than those with only a high school degree.

The commentary notes that there are "concerns about AI automation of entry-level positions traditionally filled by college graduates," underscoring the importance of AI education. Young people need to learn to harness AI as part of their secondary education to make thoughtful decisions about college and their careers.

Ban predatory practices, not the apps themselves

Whether we're discussing social media use or AI use in schools, DeMarco's analysis of the research study argues "the real work is making those environments safer by default and raising the floor of digital literacy."

This study shows that young people are optimistic about technology, from social media to AI. Although there are risks associated with these technologies, restricting them entirely is likely not the answer. Instead, we should regulate big tech, ensuring that the companies behind platforms like Instagram and YouTube take steps to protect children and their data.

What you need to know

• YouTube TV has finally added C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, and C-SPAN3 to its live lineup.
• A small per-subscriber deal struck in September paved the way for the channels to launch this week.
• The added cost is low enough that YouTube TV users shouldn’t expect a price hike.

For a long time, people who wanted direct political coverage had to use free streams and awkward browser tabs to watch congressional hearings, since C-SPAN wasn’t on YouTube TV. That’s changed this week. YouTube TV now includes C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, and C-SPAN3 in its live TV lineup.

C-SPAN and YouTube TV first struck a deal back in September, agreeing on a modest per-subscriber fee, according to 9to5Google. This agreement made it possible for the full launch to happen this week.

Until now, YouTube TV subscribers had to jump through hoops to watch C-SPAN content, relying on the network’s website or scattered livestreams during major political events. That’s no longer the case. The channels are now in the regular guide with other news outlets, and there’s no need for a special add-on.

This change is also a lifeline for C-SPAN. As more people dropped cable, the network’s revenue fell from about $64 million in 2019 to $45 million in 2023, Newsday reported. Joining major streaming bundles became necessary for its survival.

No extra cost for YouTube TV subscribers

For YouTube TV, the cost is low enough that subscribers probably won’t see a price increase because of this change. It’s a win-win: C-SPAN reaches millions of homes without cable, and YouTube TV adds a news channel that many people thought it should have had long ago.

For viewers, this change is straightforward. You get C-SPAN’s full, unfiltered coverage, now with YouTube TV’s playback controls, search features, and the ability to watch on different devices.

The bigger point is what this means for streaming overall. If a public-affairs network like C-SPAN can finally join major live-TV services, it could lead to more niche or civic-focused channels moving away from cable too. It also raises the bar: if streaming platforms are going to replace cable, it should offer the same variety, including important coverage of government and democracy.

For a service that prides itself on being a full cable replacement, this addition brings it closer than ever to actually feeling like one.

What you need to know

• YouTube will auto-sign out all Australian users under 16 starting December 10 to comply with the new Social Media Minimum Age Act.
• Teenagers lose all account features: subscriptions, commenting, uploading, and parental controls.
• Google warns the ban will make teens less safe, while the Australian government says that's YouTube's problem to solve.

After weeks of discussions between Silicon Valley and Canberra, YouTube has confirmed it will comply with Australia’s social media ban on teens. Starting December 10, the platform will automatically sign out users under 16. It’s a fundamental change to how the platform works for young people, and Google isn't hiding its frustration.

What was initially billed as a crackdown on social media apps has now expanded to include YouTube, despite Google’s insistence that YouTube doesn’t operate like Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat. But regulators ruled otherwise, and the platform must comply with the Social Media Minimum Age Act.

The timing and scope have caught parents, teens, and creators off guard. For many Australians, YouTube was more than just a social feed. It offered entertainment, homework help, and a space for creators. Now, all those features disappear as soon as a user is found to be under 16.

Instead, they will be pushed into a stripped-down YouTube experience where they can watch videos but can’t like, subscribe, comment, or upload. Parental controls disappear entirely because YouTube’s supervision tools only work when a user is signed in.

Teen creators lose access to their dashboards and can’t manage or update their channels. Their content stays online, but they can’t touch it again until their 16th birthday.

YouTube says none of this data is deleted; it’s simply frozen, waiting for teens to age back into their own profiles.

Google claims it's unsafe

However, it is important to note a critical distinction: the ban restricts account access, not access to the entire YouTube site. Young users can still view videos as guests, but lose all personalized features provided by an account, such as subscriptions and recommendations.

Google’s argument is straightforward. By forcing kids to use YouTube without an account, the ban removes the safety measures built over the last decade. Rachel Lord, a senior public policy manager at Google, called the regulation "rushed" and warned that it will "make Australian kids less safe on YouTube."

On the flip side, the Australian government isn't buying it. Reuters reports that Communications Minister Anika Wells fired back, noting that if YouTube is admitting its platform is unsafe for signed-out users, "that’s a problem that YouTube needs to fix."

What you need to know

• Google Messages is rolling out a new link preview card design that enlarges site titles and thumbnails.
• The link previews for sites and YouTube videos omit the full link URLs and descriptions.
• The only way to see the full URL with the new design is to copy it or disable link previews in Messages settings.

Google is updating the Messages app with new link previews for websites and YouTube videos, as spotted by 9to5Google. The new-look link previews emphasize website titles and thumbnails, while obscuring the specific URL. Google Messages' updated link previews also hide the site description, making the entire preview card appear larger and cleaner.

Previously, link previews included color-themed shading for the site URL, which appeared as a text bubble above the thumbnail. Below the thumbnail, you could find the title, description, and general site URL (for example, androidcentral.com). Essentially, the previews displayed a stretched version of the article or video thumbnail sandwiched by the link URL and text preview.

Google Messages now cuts out most of the previously-displayed information, instead choosing to show a larger thumbnail and title, hiding the exact link URL. You'll still be able to see the general site URL below the title. The image thumbnail appears below the text bubble, which is still color-shaded to match your Material 3 or Material 3 Expressive device theme.

YouTube video link previews behave in a slightly different fashion, with the text bubble color shading matching the main color of the video's thumbnail.

By omitting the specific link URL and site description, Google Messages' link preview cards now appear like Google Discover cards. The result is a much cleaner conversation thread, but fewer details available about a link before you click. To see the full link, you can long-press the preview card to copy the precise URL.

Alternatively, you can turn off the Show all previews or Show only web link previews toggles in Google Messages' settings. After flipping these toggles off, you'll only see the full link URL in your conversations without titles, images, or descriptions.

Android Central confirmed the updated Google Messages link previews are rolling out on version 20251121_00_RC01 on the beta channel, with wider availability expected to follow.

What you need to know

• YouTube is testing a feature that lets users customize Home feed suggestions using an AI-style text prompt.
• The new Your Custom Feed option will appear next to Home for users included in the experimental rollout.
• Users will be able to enter prompts to request more specific content, and YouTube will adjust recommendations accordingly.

YouTube seems to be testing a new feature that would let users tweak the kind of suggested content they see on the Home tab by allowing them to input the feed they want through what appears to be an AI prompt.

Currently, when you open YouTube on the web or your phone, you're taken to the main Home tab that shows a feed of suggested videos based on your watch history, likes, subscribed channels, and sometimes a video you left unfinished.

This feed is generated in real-time by an algorithm that depends on many factors. Currently, there's no straightforward way to tell YouTube what content you prefer, apart from liking videos or watching similar ones.

It appears that to understand users better and offer more accurate suggestions, YouTube will soon let people specify what kind of videos they'd like to see on the homepage.

YouTube might soon let you tune your video suggestions using AI

As first spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube will debut an experimental feature called "Your custom feed". According to YouTube, this will let you tweak your Home recommendations "by entering a single prompt."

We don't yet know how the feature looks, but based on YouTube's forum post, if you're part of the experiment, you'll see a new Your Custom Feed button next to Home.

When you enter that section, you'll be able to adjust your recommendations by entering a prompt. YouTube will, presumably, use AI and its existing algorithm to recommend more videos based on what you ask.

So, for example, I'd be able to tell YouTube to show me more Chelsea or soccer-related content, and it should recommend more of those videos. At least in theory, that's how it's expected to work, but we haven't seen any reports of how the feature looks or functions yet.

We'll keep an eye out for when the new YouTube experiment starts rolling out, but for now, it seems extremely limited. Until then, you can try the new DM feature that YouTube has started testing in a few regions.

What you need to know

• YouTube is quietly testing built-in DMs again, starting with users 18+ in Ireland and Poland.
• You can kick off a chat by tapping the notification bell on a video and sending an invite, or simply use the Share button to message someone directly.
• Invite links expire after seven days, and YouTube may review messages for guideline violations, so this isn’t a fully private messaging alternative.

If you’ve ever wished you could message a friend directly in YouTube instead of bouncing to WhatsApp or Instagram, you might soon get your wish. YouTube is quietly testing built-in direct messaging, starting in two countries for now.

After years of pushing users toward public comments and Community posts, the platform is testing a DM revival in Ireland and Poland, though you must be 18 or older to access the feature, as per YouTube's support page. To get started, tap the notification bell on any long-form video, Short, or live stream. Then, hit "Invite others to share videos," and you can send an invite to another user. Once the recipient accepts, the conversation kicks off. If they’d rather not, they can decline.

You can also block or report someone if the chat gets messy. Messages aren’t fully private, though, as YouTube notes that they “may be reviewed” for Community Guidelines issues, so this isn’t aiming to replace your favorite messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal.

A separate YouTube support page notes that invite links expire seven days after they're created. So, make sure you've turned on notifications for YouTube to get notified when someone sends you a chat invite in the app.

You can also just hit the Share button under any video and pick who you want to send it to, or tap “Invite to share on YouTube” if you need to invite them first.

This is YouTube's second attempt

This isn't YouTube's first rodeo with DMs. The platform launched an in-app messaging system between 2017 and 2019 but eventually shut it down, arguing that the platform needed to prioritize public discussion, as 9to5Google points out. That was before TikTok rewired how people discover and share content and before short-form clips became a core part of social conversation.

Fast-forward to today, and YouTube clearly doesn’t want to keep losing those share-and-react moments to other apps. For viewers, the immediate benefit is simply less friction. Instead of copying a link, jumping into a separate chat app, and then diving back into YouTube, you’d be able to keep the discussion right where you found the video.

For creators and brands, this feature could help build small communities, share exclusive content, and encourage more personal interactions without relying on other platforms. However, the privacy trade-off is important, and YouTube’s monitoring policy may affect whether people use or avoid the feature.

What happens next will depend on how users react in the next few months. YouTube hasn’t promised to launch this feature worldwide; for now, it’s just a trial to see how things go.

What you need to know

• YouTube Music has been spotted testing a long-requested “Find in playlist” feature, letting users search inside massive playlists.
• The feature was spotted on iOS version 8.45.3 in India, but availability is said to be extremely limited.
• Some features, such as searching inside saved radio playlists, may still be missing at this stage.

YouTube Music users have long been frustrated by the lack of an option to search within a playlist, but the platform looks to be introducing a feature that finally fixes that shortcoming.

As per a user post on Reddit, and first reported by Android Authority, version 8.45.3 of YouTube Music on iOS includes a new "Find in playlist" option within the overflow menu. The user claims to be located in India.

Essentially, you’ll be able to open a playlist, tap the three-dot menu, and then type to locate songs inside large playlists using the new option. Until now, if you had hundreds of tracks in a playlist, you’d just have to scroll or hope you remembered roughly where the song was. This update addresses that pain point.

Android left out (for now)

However — and this is a big caveat— it’s not yet widely available, according to comments on the Reddit post. Android users in particular seem left out for now. It is, therefore, safe to assume that this is part of an A/B test.

For power users who maintain big playlists, this is a big usability win. The update moves YouTube Music closer to feature parity with the leading music streaming apps like Spotify by tackling a long-standing complaint. On Spotify, you can swipe down on any playlist screen to reveal the "Find in playlist" search bar at the top.

The absence of the same feature on YouTube Music until now had been a frequent gripe, so it's nice to see Google finally paying attention to user feedback — this kind of quality-of-life improvement matters.

The rollout appears to be extremely limited. Even among those who have the same app version (8.45.3), many still don’t see the feature. It seems sneakily enabled for selected accounts, which means you could update and still not get it yet.

Some functionality may still be missing: for example, the reports say radios saved in the Library may not support the search feature yet.

While the search feature is not fully out yet, it’s a meaningful step forward nonetheless. For now, you might have to sit tight and wait for your account to get the option. When it finally hits your region and your device, your playlist-browsing life will feel a little smoother.

What you need to know

• YouTube and Disney end negotiations, restoring 21 major channels to YouTube TV immediately.
• Subscribers regain access to previously recorded content and new ESPN Unlimited Plan options.
• Disney and YouTube affirm the value of their programming amid heated talks.

After a tense fortnight of negotiations, YouTube TV subscribers can rejoice as a newly struck multi-year deal with Disney reinstates access to 21 channels, including ABC and ESPN, just in time for a thrilling college football weekend.

Google and Disney announced the new deal in separate press releases, each conveying a positive outcome for both sides. More importantly, YouTube TV subscribers can now access all Disney content, including the new ESPN Unlimited Plan, on the service. They'll also have the option to add the Disney Plus and Hulu bundle as part of certain YouTube TV plans.

"We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers," YouTube TV said in a statement. "We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf."

Meanwhile, Disney's top executives said the deal "recognizes the tremendous value of Disney's programming."

The deal brings to a close nearly two weeks of contentious talks. YouTube TV and Disney's prior carriage deal ended Oct. 30, 2025, and the sides began publicly advocating for a new agreement even before it expired. In the days and weeks that followed, both sides took heat from subscribers and the public.

Disney tried to pressure YouTube TV to bring back ABC for Election Day, and subscribers lamented YouTube TV for going without Monday Night Football. Then, YouTube TV accused Disney of trying to win over public favor by leaking documents.

There were other wild elements to the negotiations, like commentator Pat McAfee calling out Disney-owned ESPN for using its media personalities to pressure YouTube TV — something he did during his show that airs on ESPN. Disney-owned media also became unavailable for purchase on unrelated platforms like Google Play and YouTube in a stunning twist.

Now, subscribers finally get a resolution, as 21 channels and more Disney content returns to the live TV streaming service. The multi-year deal means YouTube TV users won't have to worry about a Disney blackout for the foreseeable future.

What you need to know

• YouTube and Disney reached a multi-year deal Friday to restore major channels on the live TV streaming service.
• Disney-owned channels and content are live on YouTube TV, effective immediately.
• Subscribers will also see previously-recorded content return to their YouTube TV account.

YouTube TV and Disney were entrenched in heated content rights negotiations for roughly two weeks, leaving subscribers without access to 21 channels, including big ones like ABC and ESPN. The public dispute finally came to an end Friday, Nov. 14, as YouTube and Disney announced they reached a multi-year agreement to bring the channels back to YouTube TV. As of now, subscribers should see all Disney channels and previously-recorded content back on the live TV service.

Google and Disney announced the new deal in separate press releases, each conveying a positive outcome for both sides. More importantly, YouTube TV subscribers can now access all Disney content, including the new ESPN Unlimited Plan, on the service. They'll also have the option to add the Disney Plus and Hulu bundle as part of certain YouTube TV plans.

"We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers," YouTube TV said in a statement. "We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf."

Meanwhile, Disney's top executives said the deal "recognizes the tremendous value of Disney's programming."

The deal brings to a close nearly two weeks of contentious talks. YouTube TV and Disney's prior carriage deal ended Oct. 30, 2025, and the sides began publicly advocating for a new agreement even before it expired. In the days and weeks that followed, both sides took heat from subscribers and the public.

Disney tried to pressure YouTube TV to bring back ABC for Election Day, and subscribers lamented YouTube TV for going without Monday Night Football. Then, YouTube TV accused Disney of trying to win over public favor by leaking documents.

There were other wild elements to the negotiations, like commentator Pat McAfee calling out Disney-owned ESPN for using its media personalities to pressure YouTube TV — something he did during his show that airs on ESPN. Disney-owned media also became unavailable for purchase on unrelated platforms like Google Play and YouTube in a stunning twist.

Now, subscribers finally get a resolution, as 21 channels and more Disney content returns to the live TV streaming service. The multi-year deal means YouTube TV users won't have to worry about a Disney blackout for the foreseeable future.

What you need to know

• Opera GX users face YouTube accessibility issues linked to its built-in ad blocker.
• Previous ad blocker conflicts have led YouTube to throttle videos for affected users.
• Ongoing concerns about YouTube TV and Disney content continue to frustrate users.

YouTube's ongoing battle with ad blockers has escalated as users of Opera GX report severe access issues, casting a shadow over its streaming services.

There's a growing thread on the YouTube subreddit where users are discussing the recent problems accessing the platform (via 9to5Google). The ongoing issues are seemingly incredibly specific, as users with the Opera GX browser are reporting problems en masse. The OP (original poster) reported that they were listening to music on YouTube in the background, but suddenly, everything stopped working.

The site went dark, and the thumbnails for the videos vanished.

While users thought this indicated that YouTube was down, or at least suffering from server problems, more reports claim that ad blockers might be the problem. One user states that accessing YouTube through Opera GX suffers the same problem, while others say going in with a different browser doesn't cause an issue. Another report says, "Mine was also broken, seems to be Adblock related, as the site loads fine without it, and completely breaks with it. At least on my end."

Strangely, one user says they've been unable to access YouTube through Opera GX with ad block enabled; however, going in with Google Chrome (with ad block) is perfectly fine. User SH4DE_RL claims that it's the built-in ad blocker in Opera GX that's causing the problem and that disabling it "fixes the problem."

The problems pile up

Was listening to music in the background and youtube suddenly stopped working, anyone know a fix for this? from r/youtube

These issues were cropping up for users earlier this morning (Nov 7). If they're persisting for you, and you're using the Opera GX browser, try the solutions some users have suggested on Reddit. Perhaps that'll fix things, but it's not like users with AdBlock on YouTube haven't had their fair share of issues.

There was a problem earlier this summer with users and ad blockers, where reports claimed YouTube was "slowing down" their videos. The platform called an audible, opting to reportedly throttle or slow down videos for those using ad blockers.

Reports said the platform would delay videos and also try to send folks to a Google support page, as if it were a different issue. Of course, the support page suggested removing any extensions (like AdBlock).

YouTube's been in this war against ad blockers for a few years now, and it's tried all manner of methods. One of the most forward-facing attempts by the platform was its trial of just halting all video streaming unless you disabled the blocker or got YouTube Premium.

YouTube's already going through enough problems right now, as users are growing incredibly frustrated with its TV streaming side. Recent reports claim that users are already thinking about ditching the service, considering they're missing out on the channels Disney provides, such as ESPN and ABC. Additionally, a substantial number of users reportedly surveyed state that if this continues, they will leave and find other avenues.

What you need to know

• A leaked Disney memo showcased the company's stance on YouTube TV negotiations.
• YouTube TV responded with an aggressive statement that claimed Disney intentionally leaked the document to the press.
• Neither side appears ready to back down as 21 channels remain dark on YouTube TV.

To offer a wide-range of traditional cable networks on its live TV streaming service, YouTube TV frequently enters negotiations with legacy media companies. Google successfully negotiated public bouts with NBCUniversal, Paramount, and Fox this year, but its ongoing battle with Disney appears to be different. Disney's 21 channels have been unavailable on YouTube TV since Oct. 31 as the talks drag on into their second week.

Both sides have took to their various channels and platforms to advocate for a "fair" deal. The situation escalated Friday, Nov. 7 when an internal Disney memo leaked to the press — penned by Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, and Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, the co-chairs of Disney Entertainment. The Athletic's Andrew Marchand obtained the document, which accused YouTube TV as demanding special treatment:

YouTube TV responded with a strong statement alleging Disney intentionally leaked the memo to The Athletic.

"Once again, Disney is resorting to their old tactics like leaking documents to the press, negotiating in public through their paid talent and misrepresenting the facts including from the deals they’ve offered and taking credit for our product proposals," YouTube TV told Marchand, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"Our team stands ready to make a fair agreement in line with their deals with other distributors and we encourage Disney to come to the table and do what's best for our mutual customers."

The statement also criticized Disney's use of its on-air talent, including major personalities like Stephen A. Smith, to try and sway public interest in the company's favor. Pat McAfee, a sports personality who appears on-air for ESPN in multiple capacities, similarly criticized the strategy (via Awful Announcing):

In the leaked internal memo, Disney also expressed an unwillingness to budge from its stance on the ongoing content negotiations. "YouTube TV continues to insist on receiving preferential terms that are below market and has made few concessions," the memo reads.

In the meantime, both Google and Disney customers end up losing out. The companies aren't faring well, either. Disney is said to be losing about $5 million per day in YouTube TV subscriber fees while its channels remain dark (via Awful Announcing). YouTube TV is handing out a $10 monthly credit to subscribers while Disney channels are unavailable.

What you need to know

• YouTube's video platform is reportedly causing issues for people with ad block, but the problems seem restricted to one browser: Opera GX.
• Users claim that even with ad blockers in Chrome, they're able to access YouTube, but Opera GX's built-in blocker is conflicting with the platform.
• YouTube, specifically YouTube TV, is already having issues with its Disney content battle, as users say they're willing to drop the service completely if this isn't resolved.

Amid everything going on with YouTube (YouTube TV, specifically), users are now reporting that the website's stopped working, and it might be due to ad blockers.

There's a growing thread on the YouTube subreddit where users are discussing the recent problems accessing the platform (via 9to5Google). The ongoing issues are seemingly incredibly specific, as users with the Opera GX browser are reporting problems en masse. The OP (original poster) reported that they were listening to music on YouTube in the background, but suddenly, everything stopped working.

The site went dark, and the thumbnails for the videos vanished.

While users thought this indicated that YouTube was down, or at least suffering from server problems, more reports claim that ad blockers might be the problem. One user states that accessing YouTube through Opera GX suffers the same problem, while others say going in with a different browser doesn't cause an issue. Another report says, "Mine was also broken, seems to be Adblock related, as the site loads fine without it, and completely breaks with it. At least on my end."

Strangely, one user says they've been unable to access YouTube through Opera GX with ad block enabled; however, going in with Google Chrome (with ad block) is perfectly fine. User SH4DE_RL claims that it's the built-in ad blocker in Opera GX that's causing the problem and that disabling it "fixes the problem."

The problems pile up

Was listening to music in the background and youtube suddenly stopped working, anyone know a fix for this? from r/youtube

These issues were cropping up for users earlier this morning (Nov 7). If they're persisting for you, and you're using the Opera GX browser, try the solutions some users have suggested on Reddit. Perhaps that'll fix things, but it's not like users with ad block on YouTube haven't had their fair share of issues.

There was a problem earlier this summer with users and ad blockers, where reports claimed YouTube was "slowing down" their videos. The platform called an audible, opting to reportedly throttle or slow down videos for those using ad blockers. Reports said the platform would delay videos and also try to send folks to a Google support page, as if it were a different issue. Of course, the support page suggested removing any extensions (like ad block).

YouTube's been in this war against ad blockers for a few years now, and it's tried all manner of methods. One of the most forward-facing attempts by the platform was its trial of just halting all video streaming unless you disabled the blocker or got YouTube Premium.

YouTube's already going through enough problems right now, as users are growing incredibly frustrated with its TV streaming side. Recent reports claim that users are already thinking about ditching the service, considering they're missing out on the channels Disney provides, such as ESPN and ABC. Additionally, a substantial number of users reportedly surveyed state that if this continues, they will leave and find other avenues.

What you need to know

• YouTube's new age verification rollout is mistakenly flagging some adult users as minors.
• Many users on Reddit report being misclassified, with YouTube asking them to reverify their age.
• The AI-based verification system seems unreliable despite aiming to protect minors and follow laws.
• Affected users can manually verify with ID, credit card, or selfie.

YouTube has started rolling out age verification for users in some regions. However, the system seems to be failing for some users, mistakenly flagging some adults as kids.

As spotted by Android Police, YouTube has begun a second wave of age verification rollout for users in the U.S. However, the system, even though Google has implemented its various methods of age verification, seems to be flagging some adult users as underage.

Several users have taken to Reddit to report that they have been falsely classified as minors even though they are not. For those affected, YouTube shows the warning, "We've changed some of your settings. We couldn't verify that you're an adult." YouTube then gives the option to use the service with restrictions using a "Got it" button or reverify their age using "Verify age."

Some users can't prove they're adults to YouTube

Literally turned 18 and my YouTube account got flagged for being a “minor”. from r/youtube

Users affected by this change seem to be quite frustrated. Some claim their account is more than 18 years old, while others say they're over 20 years old, yet YouTube is still flagging them as minors.

YouTube's intentions are good, as the system prevents minors from accessing inappropriate content, shows non-personalized ads, and complies with legal requirements in various regions. However, the company is reportedly using AI-based age estimation, which seems to be falsely flagging users.

If you're affected by this change, the only thing you can do for now is reverify your age manually using an ID, credit card, or selfie. YouTube's age verification system isn't rolling out in all countries yet. For now, it's limited to regions like the U.S., the U.K., and some EU countries.

In addition to YouTube, Google also seems to be using a similar age verification system for the Play Store when downloading certain apps. However, for age verification in Play Store, Google gives another option to verify using a third-party service, which doesn't seem to be available for YouTube yet.

What you need to know

• Google and Disney's feud already led to YouTube TV missing out on Monday Night Football on ESPN, and it could lose ABC's Election Day coverage too.
• Disney asked YouTube TV to reinstate ABC for one day so the public could watch Election Day reporting.
• YouTube TV denied the request, and instead wants Disney to allow it to offer ABC and ESPN indefinitely while the two sides negotiate.

Google's standoff with Disney over content rights for YouTube TV hit consumers hard Monday, Nov. 3 when subscribers went without Monday Night Football on ESPN. That's not the only major event coverage YouTube TV users will go without if the two companies can't come to an agreement. Election Day in the U.S. is today, Nov. 4, and Disney is requesting that YouTube TV restore access to ABC — one of the four major news networks — for one day only as a result.

Google denied that request with a public statement, also sent to Disney leadership, that serves as a counteroffer. The company says Disney's proposal would "cause customer confusion" by having ABC return for a day and the channel disappearing immediately after. Instead, Google is proposing that Disney restore both ABC and ESPN indefinitely on YouTube TV while the two sides negotiate.

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"There are plenty of other options for customers — election news information is very widely available across other broadcast stations and news networks on YouTube TV, as well as on the main YouTube service, for free," Google's statement reads. "In fact, on the last two U.S. election days, the vast majority of tuned in YouTube TV subscribers chose not to watch ABC."

Google's email emphasizes that it could restore ABC and ESPN on YouTube TV "in hours" if Disney agrees to the proposal, just in time for Election Day coverage. It also claims that ABC could alternatively livestream its coverage for free on YouTube.

Google's response follows the earlier proposal from Disney, which would only see ABC return for 24 hours. In a statement to Deadline, Disney explained its position on the matter, saying it wants to put the negotiations aside for a day for the sake of public interest.

"Despite the impasse that led to the current blackout, we have asked YouTube TV to restore ABC for Election Day so subscribers have access to the information they rely on," a Disney spokesperson said in the statement to Deadline. "We believe in putting the public interest first and hope YouTube TV will take this small step for their customers while we continue to work toward a fair agreement."

What happens next?

For now, all Disney content remains unavailable on YouTube TV, and that includes ABC's Election Day coverage. If that remains to be the case, YouTube TV subscribers would need to tune into the other news networks or access ABC by other means to gain access to its Election Day coverage. For example, Disney's own Hulu with Live TV subscription offers access to ABC and more.

What you need to know

• Disney channels became unavailable on YouTube TV as of Oct. 30, 2025.
• YouTube TV and Disney failed to reach a deal as their distribution contract came up for renewal, displacing 21 channels, including ABC and ESPN.
• Both companies have made public statements defending their stances on the stalemate.

YouTube TV and Disney are feuding over content rights, and the two sides failed to come to an agreement before the Oct. 30, 2025 deadline. As of now, all Disney channels are blacked out on YouTube TV, and that includes both live channels and recordings stored in your library.

The blackout affects 21 channels, all of which are now unavailable on YouTube TV, including big names like ABC, ESPN, and The Disney Channel. It follows warnings from YouTube TV and Disney last week that the channels would go dark if the deadline passed.

"Each time we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing and greater flexibility to offer our subscribers the best possible live TV experience," Google said in a support document. "Our current agreement with Disney has approached its renewal date, and we will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products."

Both companies took to social media to defend their positions, with the official YouTube TV account on X (formerly Twitter) saying it is "committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement." The blackout began during Scott Van Pelt's show on ESPN, who shared a link to keepmynetworks.com on his personal X account. The site encourages YouTube TV subscribers to contact Google and demand Disney channels.

What Google and Disney are saying

"Unfortunately, Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC," Disney said in a statement to Yahoo. The company also called out YouTube TV's parent company, Google, alleging it is using "market dominance to eliminate competition."

YouTube TV says that if it can't reach a deal with Disney and content remains unavailable for "an extended period of time," it will offer subscribers a $20 credit.

Google claims Disney is trying to benefit its own live TV streaming products, which compete with YouTube TV. Just this week, Disney closed its acquisition of Fubo, which will merge with Hulu with Live TV — immediately making Disney's live TV product the second-largest, trailing only YouTube TV.

Disney channels will remain off YouTube TV until if and when a deal is reached, and this displaces the following stations: ESPN, ESPN2, Freeform, FX, FXX, Disney Junior, SEC Network, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Disney Channel, ESPNU, FXM, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Disney XD, Localish, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan), Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan), and Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan).

YouTube TV successfully navigated similar negotiations with NBCUniversal, Fox, and Paramount over content rights in 2025. We'll have to wait and see whether it can do the same with Disney, and how long it might take to come to a resolution.

What you need to know

• YouTube is introducing an AI-powered feature that automatically upscales low-resolution videos.
• The new "Super resolution" label will mark upscaled videos, with an option to opt out for users and creators.
• YouTube is also adding immersive previews and contextual search features for TV users.
• Creators can now upload larger, higher-quality thumbnails with the new 50MB file size limit.

YouTube is rolling out a new feature that will automatically upscale all videos using AI.

There was a time when most videos uploaded were just 240p. Even today, many creators still upload only in 1080p. For those pixel peepers out there, Google is now rolling out a new YouTube feature that automatically upscales low-resolution videos to higher resolutions.

For now, YouTube has announced that it will begin upscaling videos uploaded below 1080p from SD to HD resolution. Later, the company plans to upscale videos to 4K. Videos enhanced using YouTube's AI will be clearly marked as "Super resolution" to indicate upscaling.

YouTube also notes that both creators and viewers will be able to opt out if they prefer not to watch upscaled content. The company will keep the original files and resolutions intact.

It was initially reported that these upscaled videos would be available only on the YouTube app for TVs, but the company confirmed to Bloomberg's Chris Welch that the feature is coming to all YouTube platforms, including smartphones and web, alongside TVs.

AI upscaling is coming to YouTube across all devices

For TVs, YouTube is also adding some nice tweaks to enhance the experience. Viewers will now see a more "immersive preview" when browsing channels on the home page. Additionally, YouTube is rolling out "contextual search on TVs," so when a viewer searches from a creator's channel page, videos from that channel will be prioritized at the top of results instead of getting buried among other content.

Another upgrade for creators is an increased file size limit for thumbnails. Previously, the cap was 2MB, but it has now been raised to 50MB, meaning you'll soon start seeing more detailed thumbnails from your favorite creators.

YouTube says the changes have started rolling out, and you should be able to see them on your screens soon. In addition, YouTube has also added new Like button animations and unveiled a major UI overhaul for Android and iOS.

What you need to know

• A user on X drew attention to YouTube's promised Like button animations that are starting to appear more consistently for users.
• These new animations involve footballs, hockey pucks, and basketballs for related sports videos, and unique fun animations for thrillers, romance, and more.
• YouTube announced a major video player overhaul in mid-October for all devices, which made the player more "immersive" and "less intrusive."

YouTube's been overhauling its video-watching experience for users, and it's also bringing a new pop of fun that'll make you double-take.

Early this morning (Oct 28), software designer Andreas Storm on X compiled a couple of short videos highlighting YouTube's new "Like" button animations (via Android Authority). Each animation concerns a different type of video content. Think motor vehicles, cats, music, film, travel, and sports. When liking a video that falls into one of those categories, the "Like" button will play a unique animation that matches it.

Storm showed that liking a travel video briefly converts the thumbs up into a plane, shooting off into the sky. If you enjoyed that documentary about Africa's wildlife, hitting the like button turns it into a lightbulb.

When you get down to sports, videos for each league or sport (NBA, NFL, NHL, etc.) display an animation integral to each. Users should see a basketball, a football, a hockey puck, a soccer ball, and so forth. Storm adds that YouTube's animations don't stop there, as it has extended its work to cover entertainment genres like thrillers and romance.

These animations are already rolling out for users, though it's likely we're not all seeing them at the same time. There are roughly 20 like button animations that span a whole host of genres and video content categories.

YouTube's making modern moves

These animations go hand-in-hand with YouTube's recent major video player update that started rolling out across all devices two weeks ago. Of course, the core of this update is the video player, which takes on a more modern appeal that's meant to be cleaner and "more immersive" for the viewer. Many elements take on a transparent aesthetic, ensuring viewers don't miss a single beat.

YouTube also updated its Seeking capabilities for videos, meaning double-tapping to jump ahead is "less intrusive." These new like button animations were a part of this update, though YouTube was a little vague.

It essentially mentioned the core of the update: users will see animations that match the content they're watching, though it won't be everywhere.

YouTube's AI has recently advanced, too, as the platform introduced a new Labs experiment for music. While engaging with your favorite artist's content on YouTube, if you're in the test, you'll have access to "AI music hosts" that can offer commentary, facts, and trivia about what you're watching.

What you need to know

• YouTube Music paid out a record $8 billion to the music industry in a 12-month period.
• It represents major growth for the platform, as it paid out $6 billion and $4 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
• YouTube Music still lags behind Spotify in terms of overall payouts, but its per-stream payouts are supposedly higher.

YouTube Music is a relatively young music streaming service compared to industry stalwarts like Spotify, but it's growing fast. The streaming service debuted in 2015 along YouTube Premium, and a decade later, it has over 125 million paid subscribers as of March 2025. The large subscriber count and user base allows YouTube Music to inject more cash into the music industry, and it hit a big milestone in 2025.

YouTube paid out more than $8 billion to the music industry in the year between July 2024 and June 2025, it said in a blog post. The brand says this major payout reaffirms its "commitment to the music industry." It's the most YouTube Music has ever paid out to artists and the music industry at large in a 12-month period, and shows that payouts are rising with subscriber counts.

"Today's $8 billion payout is a testament to the fact that the twin engine of ads and subscriptions is firing on all cylinders," said Lyor Cohen, who is YouTube's global head of music, in the blog post. "This number is not an endpoint; it represents meaningful, sustained progress in our journey to build a long-term home for every artist, songwriter, and publisher on the global stage."

The company attributes the larger payouts to what it calls a "twin-engine revenue model." That includes subscriber revenue from the over 125 million users that pay for either YouTube Music or YouTube Premium. It also includes logged-in viewers who watch music videos on YouTube and see ads — YouTube says there are 2 billion of them each month.

Between revenue sharing from subscribers and ad-supported users, YouTube Music was able to pay out the $8 billion figure to the music industry.

How YouTube Music's payout compares to itself — and the competition

YouTube Music's payouts are rising with its subscriber count. It paid out $4 billion to the music industry in 2021, $6 billion in 2022, and now $8 billion in 2025 (via TechCrunch). Spotify, the industry leader and YouTube Music's biggest competitor, paid $10 billion to the music industry in 2024.

While YouTube Music isn't quite on Spotify's level yet, it's inching closer. Despite having far fewer subscribers, YouTube Music's industry payout is impressive because it pays more on a per-stream basis than Spotify, according to Duetti.

What you need to know

• YouTube is rolling out its video player redesign for Android and iOS, starting with version 20.42.
• The update introduces larger, rounded icons and a cleaner layout that aligns with Google’s modern design language.
• The comment section now features threaded replies, finally fixing YouTube’s long-standing messy layout.

YouTube is rolling out a major redesign for its video player on Android and iOS, making big changes throughout the app. The update, which began with version 20.42 as spotted by 9to5Google, was first shown off last week.

The update brings bolder icons, improved player controls, and small changes that make the app feel cleaner. The most noticeable change is the new icons, which are now bigger and more rounded. This gives the app a fresher look that matches Google's current style.

Inside the video player, the differences are more noticeable. The landscape mode button is now encased in a circle and slightly larger, making it easier to spot. The dimmed background when pausing a video has been removed, letting thumbnails and details remain visible.

YouTube also fine-tuned the skip-forward and rewind animations to be less jarring, so skipping ahead doesn’t interrupt the flow of what you’re watching.

Landscape mode is finally clean

Landscape mode now looks much cleaner. All the main controls like thumbs up, thumbs down, comments, save, and share are grouped together in a pill-shaped container in the bottom-left corner.

One of the more playful additions is the dynamic “like” animation. When you hit the thumbs-up button, you’ll now see themed animations depending on the video type, like floating music notes for songs. It’s a small but clever way to make engagement a bit more fun.

YouTube is also fixing a common complaint about the comment section. It now has a proper threaded design, making it much easier to follow conversations and see who is replying to whom. This update helps organize what was once a confusing area.

The rollout is already underway globally for Android and iOS, though not everyone will see it right away. If the redesign hasn’t reached your device yet, relaunching the app might help trigger it.

Google is describing this as YouTube’s biggest UI refresh in years. The new player interface is designed to be less intrusive, obscuring as little of the video as possible.

What you need to know

• YouTube announced that it's rolling out a "daily limit" for its Shorts feed to viewers this week.
• Users can set a limit of how long they can scroll per day, and once that hits, they will receive a "dismissible" notification about it.
• YouTube says parents will have this option for accounts under their supervision "later this year," and those notifications will be "non-dismissible."

Short-form content can get addicting, and it looks like YouTube's trying to rein that in with a new feature that's rolling out.

Earlier this morning (Oct 22), YouTube announced a new feature that users will soon notice when scrolling endlessly through Shorts. Rolling out today, users can "set a daily limit" for how long the YouTube app on mobile will allow them to scroll through Shorts. The post states this option will appear in the app's Settings once the update arrives.

YouTube says that once users reach their daily limit, the app will inform them via a "dismissible" notification indicating their Shorts feed will be "paused" until the following day.

Users can look at this as a sort of "digital wellbeing" update for YouTube's Shorts, as the post highlights the intent behind encouraging better viewing habits/time management. While older users can utilize this to help manage themselves, YouTube says it will bring this to parents "later this year."

When this update arrives, parents will be able to set a daily limit on Shorts viewing for kid and teen accounts that they supervise. However, the main difference here is that the alerts for younger users will be "non-dismissible." Parents will be able to activate and set a daily limit for their children at will, and disable it, if desired, all the same.

Shorts are popular

While it's up to the user to decide whether or not they need a "daily limit," it's clear that YouTube's Shorts are extremely popular. Less than two years after the platform debuted its short-form content, it reported that Shorts had already surpassed five trillion views. This number was achieved across multiple platforms, such as Android phones and laptops.

While Shorts proved quite popular, YouTube was already looking into ways to help short-form content creators gain more revenue.

On a related note, it also sought ways to push the shopping experience to people watching Shorts. These videos gained shoppable ads, designed to help advertisers bring their product closer to viewers, in an attempt to, of course, get them to buy that new dress or shirt or pair of shoes. Viewers would see a "Shop Now" button when seeing a shoppable ad, which throws them right into the brand's catalog of available products.

What you need to know

• YouTube announced that it has started rolling out an "expressive, intuitive" update to its video watching experience across all devices.
• This week, users will notice a refreshed video player, one that's more transparent, so it's less obstructive when watching content.
• YouTube is bringing a "threaded" comments system to videos, as well as a redesigned video saving feature that's easier to manage.

YouTube is in the process of rolling out a huge redesign for its video-watching experience that users on computers and phones will soon see.

YouTube wants to express itself and the videos creators upload by rolling out a new "intuitive experience" this week. According to the post, beginning this week, users on YouTube will soon notice a refreshed video player that's cleaner and "more immersive" across every device capable of running the app. Visually, the new player brings the play/pause button to the center of the bottom control bar.

On the left, users will find the channel's icon and buttons for the description box and "subscribe." The right side features the thumbs up/down buttons, comments, a save icon, CC, and video player settings.

All of these elements (save for the play/pause button) are transparent for the most part. It gives a slightly more modern feel as users won't necessarily miss what's going on behind the UI elements if they happen to activate the player. Other than visual upgrades, YouTube states it's rolling out an update for "Seeking." Double-tapping a video is now "less intrusive" to what you're watching.

Android devices will also receive "seamless transitions." YouTube says mobile users will see better motion when moving between tabs in its app.

Refreshed, revamped, & ready

At times, what makes up the YouTube experience is the comments section. YouTube states it's improving its clarity by introducing "comment threading." This new system is designed to help users easily navigate comments and replies without getting confused or lost while catching up on the conversations.

Saving videos to Watch Later or others for a specific playlist becomes easier, too. YouTube said the saving process has been redesigned, so it's a no-brainer. The final update might catch your eye, as some "select" content could have Custom Like animations. For instance, when liking a music video, the platform states users may see the Like button light up with a music note.

Videos about sports are also expected to get a similar treatment.

YouTube states these updates are rolling out across all devices this week, so users should begin noticing them soon.

The platform's been busy behind the scenes, more so after it announced that users can now join "YouTube Labs." This labs experience is reminiscent of Search Labs from Google, where testers can join and experiment with its in-development AI features before it hits a stable launch. The first YouTube Labs test is out, and brings users into a YouTube Music test for "AI music hosts."

What you need to know

• A real-time lyrics translation feature for YouTube Music is in a limited test, available only to a small group of Premium subscribers.
• The feature works seamlessly inside the app, automatically translating lyrics into your device's language with a single tap.
• It leverages Google's own machine translation tech, so while it's powerful, the quality may vary and miss some poetic nuance.

YouTube Music is quietly testing something that could make international hits a lot more accessible.

As reported by Android Authority, based on discovery by YouTube Music user Diego on Telegram, real-time lyrics translation is currently being rolled out to a small batch of Premium subscribers, giving them a new “Translate” button right inside the lyrics interface.

Once tapped, translated lyrics appear directly under the original lines, letting users follow along without switching apps or copying text into Google Translate.

As per the report, the translation works automatically based on your system or app language settings. That means if your phone’s set to English, lyrics from a Spanish or Korean track will be translated into English by default.

Limited control for now

There’s no manual language picker yet, so if you want a different translation language, you’d need to change your device or app language entirely. It’s a small limitation, but one that makes sense for early testing.

For now, only select Premium users seem to have access to the feature, and Google hasn’t confirmed when (or if) it will reach everyone. This test appears to be part of a broader update focused on enhancing the lyrics experience, following YouTube Music’s previous rollout of real-time synced lyrics and new visual layouts.

YouTube Music’s translation system seems to use Google’s own machine translation tools, so quality may vary depending on the song and language. Like any automated translator, it might miss subtle nuances, idioms, or poetic wordplay, but it still offers a massive step forward for people exploring music beyond their native tongue.

This experiment also fits neatly into Google’s growing focus on AI-driven translation across its platforms. YouTube itself recently expanded its auto-dubbing and multi-language audio tools for creators, letting videos automatically generate dubbed versions in different languages.

Right now, there’s no timeline for a global rollout, and Google hasn’t shared details about supported languages or regions.