YouTube announced an expansion of its in-app messaging feature, which it hopes will keep more sharing activity within the platform itself, as opposed to having users share links to YouTube content via other messaging apps.
YouTube launched an initial test of in-app messaging with users in Ireland and Poland in November, using what the platform is calling YouTube Chat, which provides a basic in-stream DM option.
Now, YouTube is expanding that to the U.S. and “other global locations,” per the company.
As explained by YouTube: “Our community loves to share videos with their friends and family, and we want them to be able to do it in one place.”
As shown in screenshots shared by social media expert Lindsey Gamble on Threads, eligible YouTube users will now be able to invite friends into a chat, which will then activate the new DM feature.
YouTube said that users will be required to send an invite to ask someone, and if they accept, they will be able to share posts and chat about videos in the app.
“Whether it’s a new music video, a helpful tutorial, or a funny Short, this update will give users a new way to share right where they’re watching,” YouTube said. “Simply click the new messaging icon directly within the YouTube app to send an invite to share videos and react in real-time.”
The update will enable YouTube to tap into the private messaging shift, with more online discussion shifting out of public view and into more intimate DM threads.
That could ensure that more engagement stays in-app, helping to boost YouTube’s audience retention stats, while also giving it more data on sharing trends.
Though it remains to be seen whether users will be interested in starting up entirely new DM chains when they’ve already established private messaging groups in other apps.
But YouTube says that it’s received positive feedback in initial testing, which could point to this being a helpful element.
