On Thursday, YouTube introduced a set of updates to its short-form video feature, YouTube Shorts. Among the new changes is the ability for creators to upload videos up to three minutes in length.
Additionally, YouTube is revamping the Shorts player, rolling out templates, and launching a new Shorts trends page for mobile devices.
Together, these updates aim to enhance YouTube’s competitive edge against TikTok, which already allows for longer videos—up to 10 minutes when recording directly, or 60 minutes for uploaded content—and offers an easy way for users to join trends.
The new Shorts player has been designed to simplify the viewing experience by placing creators’ content more prominently on the screen. The interaction buttons, such as comment and share, have been updated as well.
Instead of being solid white, these buttons are now outlined, allowing more of the video to remain visible and giving the interface a cleaner look.
YouTube has also condensed the display of creator names, video descriptions, and sound information to take up less space at the bottom of the screen.
However, this has resulted in the video descriptions being shortened, meaning users now have to click a “more” button to read the entire text.
The introduction of templates is another key feature aimed at helping creators and users easily join trending content, an area where TikTok has excelled, especially with its CapCut integration.
On TikTok, users can quickly access CapCut to modify templates and participate in trends.
YouTube’s approach is similar, though it doesn’t require a separate app. Instead, Shorts users will be able to tap the “Remix” option on a Short and select “Use this template” to create their own video.
Within the next few months, YouTube plans to make it even easier by allowing users to access and remix content directly from the Shorts camera, whether it’s clips from popular videos, music videos, or multiple clips across YouTube.
In relation to trends, YouTube is also introducing a dedicated page on mobile devices where users can discover popular trends in their region.
This sets YouTube apart from TikTok, which previously allowed users to find trends through its Discover page.
However, TikTok has since replaced Discover with a Friends tab to push a more social networking approach.
Despite this, TikTok’s global reach continues to offer users the ability to spot and adopt trends from different countries, often making them their own.
A recent example of this is the baby hippo, Moo Deng, which became a viral sensation and even inspired a skit on “Saturday Night Live.”
YouTube is also planning a feature that will allow users to preview what people are saying in the comments section directly from the Shorts feed.
This change could increase user interaction and might encourage creators to publish more provocative content, known as “rage bait,” designed to spark reactions and drive engagement.
Another notable update is a new feature allowing users to customize how much Shorts content they see in their feed.
By selecting “Show fewer Shorts” from the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the Shorts grid in the Home feed, users can reduce the number of Shorts they are shown.
However, YouTube notes that this will only “temporarily” reduce the amount of Shorts content, without specifying the duration of the effect.
