YouTube is testing a revival of its built-in direct messaging feature, bringing back in-app video-sharing chats that many viewers had considered a fan favorite tool. The experiment, which is limited to select users and not yet available platform-wide, responds directly to long-running user requests for an easier way to share videos with friends without leaving the app. By reintroducing direct messages in a controlled trial, YouTube is signaling a renewed interest in social features that could reshape how people watch and discuss videos on the platform.
Background on YouTube’s Messaging History
YouTube originally launched direct messaging as a native feature to let viewers share videos and chat privately inside the platform, but later removed it as part of a broader effort to streamline the product around discovery and consumption of content. Reporting on the current test notes that the earlier shutdown of built-in DMs was framed as a way to reduce complexity in the app and push users toward comments, community posts, and external messaging tools instead of maintaining a parallel chat system. That decision left YouTube focused on recommendations, subscriptions, and public engagement, while private sharing was effectively outsourced to services like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Messenger.
The discontinuation of native DMs, however, created a gap for users who preferred to keep their viewing and conversations in one place, particularly for quickly passing along links to specific clips or livestreams. Coverage of the new experiment stresses that the absence of a private in-app channel became more noticeable as competitors like TikTok and Instagram leaned heavily into messaging as a core part of their video experience, reinforcing the idea that social interaction and content discovery are tightly linked. In that context, YouTube’s decision to revisit direct messaging reflects a recognition that its earlier move to strip out chat tools may have gone too far in separating viewing from sharing.
Rising User Demand for Direct Messages
Persistent user feedback has pushed direct messaging to the top of YouTube’s internal wish list, with multiple reports describing the feature as a “top feature request” from the community. According to coverage of the test, viewers have repeatedly asked for a way to send videos directly to friends inside the app instead of copying links into outside chats, arguing that a native option would be faster and more intuitive. One report on the revival notes that YouTube is explicitly positioning the experiment as a response to those requests, signaling that the company is listening to long-standing complaints about the friction involved in sharing content.
That demand is not just about convenience, it also reflects a broader expectation that major video platforms should double as social hubs where conversations unfold around clips in real time. As described in an analysis of the trial, users see direct messages as a basic social tool that YouTube has lacked compared with rivals that already blend messaging and short-form video in a single interface. By elevating DMs to a priority experiment, YouTube is acknowledging that it risks losing engagement to apps where sharing and chatting are tightly integrated, and it is testing whether restoring this capability can keep more of those interactions inside its own ecosystem.
Details of the Current Testing Phase
The latest test of YouTube’s direct messages began around November 18, 2025, as part of an in-app experiment that quietly appeared for a subset of users invited to try video-sharing chats. Coverage of the rollout explains that these testers can open a dedicated chat interface, select contacts, and send private messages that prominently feature embedded YouTube videos rather than simple URLs. According to one detailed breakdown of the experiment, the interface is designed to keep viewers inside the app as they move from watching a clip to sharing it and then discussing it in a single continuous flow.
As of November 19, 2025, the revived direct messaging feature remains in a limited rollout and is not live for everyone, which gives YouTube room to refine the experience before deciding on a broader launch. Reports on the test emphasize that only select accounts currently see the option, and that the company is closely monitoring how often people use the new chats, how they discover them, and whether the feature changes viewing patterns. One outlet notes that the experiment is framed as a way to “trial video-sharing chats” with a small audience first, allowing YouTube to gather data on performance, safety, and moderation before committing to a full-scale comeback of DMs.
How the New Video-Sharing Chats Work
Early descriptions of the interface indicate that the new direct messages are tightly centered on video sharing, with conversations built around clips that appear directly inside the chat thread. In reports that walk through the feature, testers describe being able to tap a share button on a video, choose a friend or small group, and then see the video appear as a playable tile within the conversation, alongside text replies and reactions. That structure is meant to reduce the friction of jumping between a video player and a separate messaging app, keeping the focus on watching and responding in one place.
Some coverage compares the experiment to earlier iterations of YouTube messaging, but notes that the current design appears more streamlined and purpose-built for quick sharing rather than full-scale chat. One analysis points out that the emphasis on embedded videos and short exchanges aligns with how people already share TikTok clips or Instagram Reels in private threads, suggesting that YouTube is borrowing familiar patterns to make the feature feel instantly usable. By centering the chat around the video itself, the company is also positioning DMs as an extension of the watch experience rather than a standalone social network, which could help avoid the bloat that contributed to the original feature’s demise.
Potential Impacts on Users and Creators
For everyday viewers, the return of direct messages could make it significantly easier to share videos with friends and family, potentially increasing the amount of time people spend inside YouTube. One report characterizes the experiment as a way to “make it easier to share videos with friends and waste their time, too,” highlighting how frictionless sharing can quickly lead to longer viewing sessions as recommendations and replies keep the conversation going. If the test scales up, users who currently bounce between YouTube and apps like Telegram or Signal to trade links might find themselves staying within a single interface, which would deepen their engagement with the platform’s recommendation engine and watch history.
Creators stand to gain from that shift as well, since more in-app sharing can translate into additional views, longer session durations, and more opportunities for their content to spread through private networks. Coverage of the trial notes that direct messages could become a new vector for discovery, particularly for smaller channels that rely on word-of-mouth to reach new audiences. At the same time, the experiment raises questions about how creators will be able to measure or influence this kind of sharing, since private chats are not visible in public analytics, and YouTube has not yet detailed whether it will surface metrics that show how often a video is passed along in DMs.
Why YouTube Is Reconsidering Social Features Now
Reports on the messaging comeback consistently frame it as part of a broader recalibration of YouTube’s social strategy in a landscape dominated by apps that blend content and chat. One analysis notes that the company is responding to a “top feature request” at a moment when TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat all treat private messaging as a core part of how users experience short-form video, not as an optional add-on. By testing direct messages again, YouTube is effectively acknowledging that its earlier decision to strip out native chat tools left it at a disadvantage in the race to keep viewers engaged and sharing within a single app.
The timing also reflects growing pressure on platforms to own more of the user journey from discovery to discussion, rather than handing off conversations to third-party services that control their own data and engagement loops. Several reports suggest that YouTube wants to see whether tighter integration of sharing and viewing can increase retention and session length, metrics that are central to its advertising business and its competition with other video platforms. If the experiment shows that users are more likely to keep watching when they can instantly send a clip to a friend and get a response without leaving the app, that could strengthen the case for a full relaunch of DMs as a permanent feature.
What Comes Next for YouTube’s Direct Messages
For now, the revived direct messaging feature remains an experiment, and YouTube has not publicly committed to a timeline or a guarantee that it will roll out to all users. Coverage of the test stresses that the company is treating this as a data-gathering phase, watching how often people use the chats, what kinds of videos they share, and whether the feature introduces new moderation or safety challenges. The limited rollout gives YouTube the flexibility to tweak the interface, adjust notification behavior, or even pull back if the results do not justify a full-scale launch.
At the same time, the decision to bring back DMs at all, even in a small trial, signals that YouTube is open to reversing past product calls when user demand is strong and competitive pressure is intense. If the experiment proves successful, viewers could see a more social version of YouTube take shape, with private video-sharing chats sitting alongside comments, community posts, and live chat as core engagement tools. For creators and audiences alike, the outcome of this test will help determine whether YouTube remains primarily a viewing destination or evolves into a more fully integrated space where watching, sharing, and talking all happen in the same place.
According to reporting on YouTube bringing back DMs via its latest test, the company is explicitly crediting user requests for driving the experiment, underscoring how community feedback can reshape even previously abandoned features. Coverage that describes how YouTube is testing direct messages as a top social feature highlights the platform’s effort to close the gap with rivals that already treat messaging as central to their video products. One detailed walkthrough notes that YouTube has revived a fan-favorite messaging feature, although it is not live for everyone yet, reinforcing that the current rollout is intentionally constrained.
Analysts who describe how YouTube is making it easier to share videos with friends and extend viewing time argue that the experiment could significantly boost engagement if it becomes widely available. A separate breakdown that explains how YouTube is testing a revival of built-in direct messages as a “top feature request” frames the move as part of a larger shift toward integrating social tools more deeply into the core viewing experience. Together, these reports paint a picture of a platform cautiously but deliberately moving back into messaging, guided by user demand and the competitive realities of the modern video landscape.
