YouTube may restore option to message and share videos inside the app

New Delhi: YouTube is testing a feature that reintroduces direct messaging within its mobile app, allowing users to share videos and hold conversations without moving to another platform.

The company noted on its support page that it is experimenting with “new ways to share videos”, covering options such as sending clips directly to another user and continuing the discussion within the app.

To start a conversation, users will need to send an invitation. Those who receive one can choose to accept or decline it, and YouTube will allow participants to block others or report chat threads that breach its rules.

Messages will fall under YouTube’s existing Community Guidelines, the same policies used for comments and video moderation.

The experiment effectively revives a private messaging feature that was available between 2017 and 2019 before being withdrawn. The company stated that the ability to privately share videos has been one of the most frequently requested options in recent years.

For the moment, the test is restricted to users aged 18 and above in Ireland and Poland. According to the news report, the trial resembles the older messaging layout, which was discontinued to concentrate on public engagement tools such as comments, posts and stories.

Separately, YouTube has started rolling out an “Ask” button powered by Google’s Gemini AI. The feature allows viewers to interact with the video they are watching, offering quick summaries, explanations of key topics, answers to questions or short quizzes.

Suggested prompts appear in a chat-style panel. The Gemini-branded button sits below the video player on selected English-language content and is currently available on Android, iPhone and desktop.