YouTube is implementing a cosmetic change highly reminiscent of Instagram and TikTok to signify that a creator is live.
Going forward, creators’ profile pictures will be encircled by rings when a creators is in the midst of a stream, with the word ‘Live’ written below. YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan announced the update on Twitter, explaining that the aim of the feature is to help viewers find more live streams.
The Verge notes that similar rings indicate when a creator is live on TikTok while scrolling through videos, and the same visual cue exists at the top of the Instagram interface.
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“Really focused making it easier for users to find live streams on YouTube, so we’re rolling out the Live rings feature on mobile,” Mohan wrote. “YouTube creators streaming live will now have a ring around the channel avatar, and clicking on the avatar will take you directly to the live stream.”
Really focused making it easier for users to find livestreams on @YouTube so we’re rolling out the Live rings feature on mobile! @YouTubeCreators streaming live will now have a ring around the channel avatar & clicking on the avatar will take you directly to the livestream. pic.twitter.com/QylUbpktum
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) February 18, 2022
