YouTube is testing the return of private messages between users, a feature many will remember being removed years ago. Surprisingly, Italy is among the first countries involved in the test, which for now is only available via the mobile app.
The goal seems to be making the platform more social and encouraging content sharing without having to go through external apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.
But how do these new chats work and what benefits could they offer to users and creators?
How YouTube’s New Chats Work
Private messages aren’t entirely new to YouTube. In 2019, Google decided to remove the messaging system.
According to what was communicated at the time, the feature was being used by a very small percentage of users and required resources the company preferred to invest in other interaction tools, such as comments, the Community tab, and Stories.
Additionally, the system was often associated with spam and unwanted messages.
The new version of private messages adopts a much more controlled approach than in the past. It’s not possible to freely write to any user on the platform: to start a conversation, you must first accept an invite.
The invite can be generated directly from the share screen of a video or Short. Once accepted by the other person, a private chat is created where you can continue exchanging messages and sharing other content.
This system should limit spam and give users greater control over who they interact with.
When you send a video, the content appears directly in the conversation.
Additionally, you can share a specific moment in the video, starting playback exactly from the desired point. A particularly useful feature when you want to show a specific scene without forcing the recipient to search for it manually.
Private chats are integrated into the app’s notification system.
When you receive a new message, YouTube sends a dedicated notification and allows you to quickly access the conversation.
All open chats are also stored in a specific section accessible from the notification bell. From here you can resume an existing conversation or send new invites to other users.
An Opportunity for Creators
The most interesting aspect of this new feature could concern creators themselves.
In recent years, YouTube has introduced several tools to encourage dialogue with audiences, and private chats represent a further step in this direction.
At the moment, the feature seems designed primarily for sharing content between users, but in the future it could evolve into a more effective tool for strengthening the relationship between creators and their communities, making YouTube increasingly similar to a true social network.
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