YouTube

Google takes account security fairly seriously and, over the past few years, has been pushing 2-step authentication/verification for users, sometimes requiring it for specific account actions. This week, Google has announced that YouTube creators will be required to use 2-step verification to access key functions starting later this year.

The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) launched over 14 years ago to allow video monetization, and the Google company is now celebrating 2 million creators.

After being introduced on the Android and iOS apps last year, YouTube’s new outline-style icons are now available on the web homepage. 

As of last month, YouTube Shorts is available in over 100 countries as Google’s TikTok and short-form viral video competitor. The company now wants to ramp up Shorts awareness with a global ad campaign “introducing the shorter side of YouTube.” 

Our favorite video streaming service recently gained a neat new ability to scrub to a particular video point with a new drag gesture, but YouTube for Android now lets you skip video chapters with a two-finger double-tap.

Skipping to the most interesting portion of your favorite YouTube content could end up being a lot easier in the future with the Android version of the video-sharing app gaining a new drag and hold gesture for quickly scrubbing through a video.

Many complaints about the cost of a YouTube Premium subscription could soon be addressed with a new “YouTube Premium Lite” subscription tier that will provide ad-free video viewing at a new lower price.

When Stadia was first announced, Google (and many others) talked about the potential crossover with its video service. One of those YouTube integrations is now opening up more widely with the ability to sign-up for a beta of Stadia Crowd Play.

Since March of this year, we’ve been tracking a brand new Cast experience for YouTube on regular, non-Google TV-powered Chromecast dongles. It looks like the YouTube app on Android TV with better remote control options and is now rolling out to more users.

YouTube is adding another way to tip your favorite creators and channels with a feature called “Super Thanks.”

At the start of this year, Google said it was partnering with institutions to use YouTube’s scale to widely surface trusted health videos. This is now manifesting as an “accredited hospitals” label on authoritative YouTube videos.

YouTube looks to be taking game-streaming platform Twitch head-on with the addition of subscriber-only chat, viewer polls for all channels, while the Clips feature is arriving for channels with over 1,000 subscribers.

Short-form videos have exploded in popularity lately, thanks to the rise of TikTok, and many other platforms are trying to get in on the trend. After testing the feature in select countries, Google is now launching YouTube Shorts globally.

YouTube, which calls itself a “Google company,” has its own branding and design direction that’s independent from the broader organization. YouTube Studio is now getting a new icon that shares some similarity to YouTube Music.

The YouTube video layout on the web has remained relatively the same in recent years, but Google is now testing a web redesign of the description section that is more compact and puts greater emphasis on comments.

After announcing a handful of new education features just last week, Google is updating the privacy and security defaults for students using Chrome, as well as accounts and other apps, managed by schools. 

YouTube has partnered with Hollywood Park in a multiyear agreement that will see a purpose-built 6,000 seat venue named YouTube Theater.

Breaking the YouTube terms of service or violating any of the site’s policies can be a frustrating experience. However, a new test will provide time stamps in YouTube policy violation emails where any violation is believed to exist.

Similar to a Google Drive change for file-sharing links, YouTube is making it so that Unlisted videos uploaded before 2017 will be made Private next month.