Also check out these weekly updated reports for even more social media news:
September 2025 YouTube updates
- YouTube added new search filters to help channel managers stay on top of engagement opportunities: “New replies to your response” for replies and “Newest” for independent comments. (source)
- YouTube now allows content creators to set up their preferred default view of comments on YouTube Studio mobile as well. (source)
- YouTube is rolling out a new automated Shorts creation process for livestreams on mobile. (source)
- YouTube added a “Hide” button for end‑screen recommendations. (source)
- YouTube has announced new features for artists, brands, content creators, and regular users at the company’s “Made On YouTube” event:
- YouTube Creators (source)
- Add a link: YouTube Shorts creators will be able to add a link to a brand’s site specifically for brand deals.
- Swappable ad slots: Creators will soon be able to dynamically insert brand segments directly into swappable slots.
- YouTube now has an AI-powered system that identifies the optimal moment a product is mentioned in a video and automatically tags it at that moment.
- YouTube will soon test the ability to automatically identify and tag all eligible products mentioned in a creator’s video.
- YouTube Live (source)
- AI-powered highlights: YouTube will find the most compelling key moments from a livestream and will automatically create ready-to-share Shorts.
- A new “Practice Mode” allows you to test your setup (cameras, lights, etc.) before going live.
- A new ad format, “Side-by-side ads.”
- A new feature that allows channel membership creators to easily transition from public to members-only livestreams.
- The ability to play games during a live session with YouTube Playables.
- The ability to broadcast in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously.
- YouTube Music (source)
- Album pre-saves: This feature will allow YouTube Music fans to pre-save an upcoming album or a single.
- Exclusive video drops: Artists will have the ability to share things like “thank you” videos, behind-the-scenes clips, and other just-for-fans content.
- Exclusive merch drops: Artists will have the ability to give top viewers an opportunity to be first in line for their exclusive merch.
- Release countdowns: This feature will allow YouTube Music fans to view a countdown for an album release on the album’s detail page, artist detail page, and album shelf.
- YouTube Podcasts (source)
- AI-suggested clips: Video podcast creators in the US will be able to create short clips more easily with AI suggestions.
- Turn audio into video: Creators will be able to generate a customizable video for their podcast.
- YouTube Shorts (source)
- Edit with AI: This feature will allow you to transform raw camera roll footage into a compelling first draft.
- Google Lyria 2: YouTube is introducing Google Lyria 2 to YouTube Shorts creators with the ability to generate songs from their speeches.
- Google Veo 3 Fast: YouTube is introducing Google Veo 3 Fast to YouTube Shorts creators for free.
- YouTube Studio (source)
- A new, AI-powered chatbot, “Ask Studio.” This conversational chat will provide quick insights and ideas to help you understand your analytics and community data, and get new inspiration.
- A new A/B testing feature for video titles.
- Auto dubbing with lip sync. Translated videos will now visually match the speaker’s lips with the newly dubbed language.
- Collaborations: You can add up to five collaborators per video.
- Inspiration Tab: YouTube is expanding this feature to all content creators worldwide.
- Likeness detection: YouTube is expanding this feature in open beta to all YouTube Partner Program creators.
- YouTube added two new stickers for YouTube Shorts, “AI Stickers” and “Image.” (source)
- YouTube added a new feature for live videos, “Polls.” (source)
- YouTube added a new accessibility feature for videos posted by content creators and publishers, “Multi-language audio.” (source)
- YouTube is testing its own version of “Live goals” for vertical live streams, “Gift goals.” (source)
- YouTube added social sharing options for posts created in the “Community” tab. (source)
- YouTube added interactive gifts for vertical live streams via a new “Gift effects” feature. (source)
- YouTube is now flagging accounts that are part of a YouTube Premium Family plan, but not physically located in the same household as the account manager. (source)
August 2025 YouTube social media updates
- YouTube added a new “Templates” feature on YouTube Create’s Android app. (source)
- YouTube launched the “Hype at no cost” feature in 17 additional countries. (source)
- YouTube will also add two new features for hyped videos:
- Category Leaderboards.
- The ability for users to create posts based on their hyped videos.
- YouTube will soon allow Shorts creators to earn money from app promotions with a custom CTA panel displayed along the bottom of their clip. (source)
- YouTube is testing with users based in Thailand a new type of audience for comments, “(Channel) Subscribers only”. (source)
- YouTube now allows content creators to remove or report all comments received by a clip on YouTube Studio (desktop device). (source)
- YouTube launched its web-based effects creation tool, YouTube Effect Maker, to more creators worldwide. (source)
- YouTube added a new feature for users without a YouTube Premium subscription: “Offline downloads”. (source)
- YouTube is again recommending content to non-logged-in users on the main page. (source)
- YouTube will soon give users access to edit auto-dubbed clips via YouTube Studio Editor. (source)
- YouTube has increased the number of photos that can be added to a community post from 5 to 10. (source)
- YouTube added new CTA (Call-to-Action) messages for in-stream promotions via its “Promote” button. (source)
- YouTube is testing with a small number of content creators a new “Collaboration” feature for YouTube Shorts. (source)
- YouTube now allows content creators to include profanity early in their short or long-form videos while maintaining monetization. (source)
Keep up with the latest YouTube updates
YouTube’s rapid pace of updates can be overwhelming, but staying informed helps you adjust your content strategy and take advantage of new opportunities. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest news, or subscribe to Shareable TL;DR so we can deliver the highlights directly to your inbox.
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