{"id":106448,"date":"2025-11-21T09:44:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T09:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=106448"},"modified":"2025-11-21T09:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T09:44:19","slug":"youtube-testing-direct-messages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/youtube-testing-direct-messages\/","title":{"rendered":"Could YouTube be the next to bring back DMs?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A latest test hints at a more social future for YouTube where users can share and chat about videos within the YouTube app.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

YouTube is testing DMs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

YouTube<\/a> is testing support for a new built-in direct messaging feature. According to YouTube\u2019s support page<\/a>, select users in Ireland and Poland aged 18+ can now share videos and chat directly within the mobile app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test lets users share all formats too, whether its long-form videos, Shorts, and live streams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While YouTube doesn\u2019t directly call the feature \u201cDMs\u201d, that\u2019s essentially what it is. It\u2019s been one of the platform\u2019s \u201ctop feature requests\u201d, and now YouTube seems ready to fulfil those requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does it work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To start a chat on YouTube, users must first send someone an invite. They can accept or decline, and then you\u2019re free to share videos and chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, safety measures are still in place too. Users can block, report, and flag conversations. Plus, YouTube may review messages to ensure they align with Community Guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger picture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As 9to5Google<\/a> notes, this isn\u2019t YouTube\u2019s first go at messaging. The platform previously had built-in chat features for a few years before shutting them down in 2019. Now, with user demand and social behaviors shifting, a reintroduction could make sense. Think about other social media platforms like Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> which easily allow users to share and connect over content. YouTube would simply be joining that party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also follows a recent trend in the music industry, where streaming services are introducing more social elements into their platforms. Earlier this year, Spotify<\/a> <\/strong>revived its in-app messaging feature<\/a> that it had previously abandoned in 2017. More recently, Amazon Music<\/a> began testing \u201cFan Groups\u201d<\/a> which lets its Canadian users share and chat about their favorite music in a community space, with a more global rollout expected later down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Amazon Music tests \u2018Fan Groups\u2019 to bring community back to music discovery<\/a><\/blockquote>