YouTube Premium on a Galaxy S9Source: Joe Maring / Android Central

What you need to know

  • Google is adding a Twitch-like Viewer applause feature to YouTube.
  • Users will be able to pay $2 to clap for a video they like.
  • It's limited to Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, and the U.S at this time.

YouTube is testing a new way for viewers to support creatives on YouTube in select countries through an Applaud feature (via The Verge).

In essence, users pay a small sum of money to YouTube ($2 or local equivalent) for a clap, of which 70% is then paid to the creator and 30% goes back to Google. It's not on by default, YouTubers will have to switch it from their account dashboard if eligible. Once they do, then their fans will be able to support them if they choose to do so.

The new Applaud feature is another way of YouTube to keep content creators on its platform full time. It's a better alternative than them using YouTube as a free taster session of sorts and offering a fuller, more supported experience on Patreon. For Google, the more ways consumers can pay for content on YouTube likelier it is that they will. This is something the firm has been banking on with a flurry of new payment features for YouTubers like Super Chat and Super Stickers.

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"You may be able to buy Viewer applause on participating creators' videos and show your support for YouTube channels. When you buy Viewer applause, you're purchasing a one-time "clapping" animation that will only be shown to you over the top of the video," Google says in a support blog. The firm will let you spend up to $500 a day to a total of $2000 a week on Applause and other similar features like Super Chats and Super Stickers combined.

It is only available in Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, and the U.S. via YouTube's desktop web app at this time. If you're not in those regions, you're out of luck.

YouTube: Everything you need to know