In response to user demand, YouTube has brought back a much-requested feature. Six years after discontinuing its original form of direct messages, YouTube is once again letting users slide into each other’s DMs with a new version of the classic communication format.
A YouTube blog post alludes to a “new messaging icon,” which users can tap on if they want to send DMs to other accounts. Recipients must consent to receiving DMs before they can be sent a viral video link or a relevant reaction.
“Our community loves to share videos with their friends and family, and we want them to be able to do it in one place,” reads the post. “Today, we’re starting to expand our in-app video sharing and messaging feature to the U.S. and other global locations so more users 18 and older can connect over their favorite videos directly on YouTube.”
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This isn’t the first time DMs have been available on YouTube. In 2017, the platform tried to win traffic away from rivals like Instagram and Twitter by setting up a mobile-oriented messaging service that enabled in-app, private discussion about trending videos. That feature didn’t last long. By 2019, YouTube had moved away from its DMs, choosing instead to prioritize public comments.
During YouTube’s six-year DM hiatus, the social media landscape shifted. Instagram Head Adam Mosseri has noted that his company is prioritizing “sends per reach” in its recommendation algorithm, and a system that favors sharing works best when paired with a robust messaging product. To that end, Instagram supercharged its direct messages with nearly two dozen new features, and users can even shop in their DMs, too.
Other platforms, including Snap, TikTok, and Spotify, followed Instagram’s lead by adding to their own DM capabilities. Now, it’s YouTube’s turn. After responding to a “top feature request” by testing its new DMs in European countries like Ireland and Poland, YouTube is rolling out the product widely.
YouTube’s decision to give DMs their own real estate on its mobile app makes this iteration of the feature more visible than last decade’s experiment. Will that layout change bring more usership? Consumers still associate DMs with Instagram first and foremost, but there’s room for YouTube to be part of that conversation as well.
