[January 14, 2021] Testing a new way to shop on YouTube: We’re testing a new way for people to easily discover and purchase products featured in YouTube videos. Creators in this pilot can add certain products to their videos. Viewers can then see a list of featured products by clicking the shopping bag icon on the bottom left corner of the video. From there, viewers can explore each product’s page to see more information, related videos, and purchase options for that product. We are currently piloting this feature with a limited number of creators. It is visible to users in the US on iOS, Android, and desktop.

[December 14 2020] Testing new ways to view Shorts: We’re beginning to test a new way for you to watch Shorts, a new short form video experience that lets you create short videos right from the YouTube mobile app. We’ll be adding a Shorts icon to the top or bottom row of the mobile app that makes it easier for you to tap and watch Shorts on YouTube. Those who are in the experiment will either see a Shorts icon in place of the Explore tab (with the Explore icon moved to the top row) or will see a Shorts icon in place of the Cast icon in the top row (casting can still be done in the player while watching a video). This experiment is available to a small group of users in India using the YouTube app on Android and iOS while we gather feedback. 

[December 3 2020] Testing out video appeals for channel suspensions: We're experimenting with video appeals to help you give us additional information on your channel and content if you think we made a mistake in suspending your channel from YPP. Our policy team will review your video and take a second look at your channel with the shared context in mind. If your appeal shows how your channel complies with our policies, we will turn monetization back on for your channel before the end of the 30 day suspension window. This experiment is only available to a small percentage of creators in YPP, but we hope to expand the program in the future.

[November 23 2020] Testing automatic video chapters: We want to make it easier for people to navigate videos with video chapters, so we are experimenting with automatically adding video chapters (so creators don't have to manually add timestamps). We’ll use machine learning to recognize text in order to auto generate video chapters. We’re testing this out with a small group of videos. If your videos are impacted, you can opt out of this experiment and/or share feedback here. More on video chapters here.

[October 6 2020] Testing a new reminder in comments to help encourage respectful interactions: To help encourage more respectful interactions on YouTube, we’re testing out a reminder that pops up before you post a potentially offensive comment, giving you a moment to reflect on your comment and revise your reply/comment before it’s published. From the reminder, you can move forward with posting your comment as is, or take a few extra moments to edit your comment before posting it. Note: Even if a comment doesn't trigger the reminder (as it won't catch all potentially offensive comments) it may still be removed due to Community Guidelines violations. Only those randomly selected to participate in the experiment will see the reminder. We'll continue to adjust if and how the reminder is shown pending experiment results.

[September 14 2020] Testing a new section for upcoming content in Subscriptions: We want to make it easier for you to find upcoming content (scheduled live streams and Premieres) from channels you are subscribed to, so we are testing out a new section in the subscriptions feed called “Upcoming live and premieres” that shows this content separately from the latest uploads you usually see in the subs feed. Upcoming live streams and Premieres from the channels you are subscribed to will be sorted in reverse chronological order, meaning live streams and Premieres happening soonest will be placed first and ones scheduled for later will follow after. You can set reminders for upcoming streams and Premieres by clicking the bell to be notified when the stream or Premiere goes live. We're starting these experiments on desktop with a small group of people while we gather feedback.

[August 5 2020] Testing out a way to record multi-segment videos: We’re testing out a new way for creators to easily record multiple clips directly in the YouTube mobile app and upload as one video. If you’re in this experiment, you’ll see an option to ‘create a video’ in the mobile upload flow. Tap or hold the record button to record your first clip, then tap again or release the button to stop recording that clip. Repeat these steps until you’re done capturing footage up to a maximum length of 15 seconds. Creators will also have the ability to adjust the recording speed and also set a countdown timer for their multi-segment video uploads. If you’d like to upload a longer video, you’ll still be able to do so by uploading from your phone gallery instead of recording through the app. We're starting these experiments on mobile (both Android and iOS) with a small group of people while we gather feedback.

[August 5 2020] Testing out ways to remind people to sign in: To help you experience all of the benefits of a signed in YouTube experience, we're testing out ways to remind people to sign in, including a new sign in prompt that shows up on desktop, mobile web and/or TV for a small percentage of people. If you see this prompt and don't want to sign in at this time, you can dismiss it. More details here.

[August 4 2020] Testing a new search bar experience: To make it easier to find and tap the Search icon, we are testing a new search bar in the top navigation menu to make it more prominent and intuitive. If you use YouTube Premium and see this experiment, you’ll no longer see the Premium logo but you can confirm you’re logged into your Premium account here. This experiment is only available to a small group of people using the YouTube mobile app on android devices.

[July 24 2020] Testing out a comment filter for “top comments” in YouTube Studio: To help you find and respond to comments, we’re experimenting with showing the comments visible on the Watch page (Top Comments) in YouTube Studio. If you are in this experiment and want to see all published comments, you can remove all filters.

[June 29 2020] Testing a simplified menu for video quality settings on mobile: We want to make it easier for you to understand streaming settings, so we’re testing an updated settings menu when changing the quality of videos. The new quick menu will give you more info about quality settings and how they impact your data, while an advanced menu lets you see options like 1080p, 720p, 480p, etc. as you already do today! These settings can be found both in the video player and your YouTube app settings. This experiment is available to a small group of users using the YouTube app on Android and iOS while we gather feedback. 

[June 25 2020] Testing out a manual language selector for voice search: To improve the YouTube Voice Search experience, we are testing out a way to select a different language for voice search than what's currently set in your app's settings. This experiment will help our voice search systems better account for these differences. If you’re in the experiment, you’ll see a blue banner on your voice input screen with more details. This experiment is available in these languages, plus Uzbek, Punjabi, Burmese, and Estonian.