YouTube Announces Updates for Shorts Including Longer Shorts, Templates & Comments In The Shorts Feed
YouTube announced a batch of updates for Shorts, its short-form video experience. These updates include longer Shorts, a streamlined player, templates, and more.
Let’s dive into the notable changes, broken down by area of impact, and break down what they mean and why they matter.
Functionality
YouTube
Longer Shorts: Starting October 14th, creators will be able to share Shorts up to three minutes long similar to TikTok, provided the videos are square or taller in aspect ratio. Videos uploaded prior to this date will remain unchanged. These Shorts are eligible for monetization, except where they include copyrighted music.
Why It Matters: YouTube is addressing one of creators' most requested features by allowing the creation of Shorts longer than 60 seconds. This extended duration gives creators more flexibility, striking a balance between very short clips and traditional long-form content, with the added benefit of being discoverable in the Shorts feed.
This update also helps creators repurpose content from other short-form video platforms, as they will no longer need to trim their clips to fit the 60-second limit. Additionally, longer Shorts can boost YouTube’s advertising potential, enabling advertisers to place longer ads that are less disruptive than those shown between videos under 60 seconds
Streamlined Shorts Player: Interaction icons are being updated from solid to outlined. The creator handle, description, and sound information have been repositioned further down, requiring viewers to click a "More" button to access all the details.
Why It Matters: These changes allow content to occupy more screen space, putting creators front and center. As a result, the viewing experience becomes more immersive, ensuring viewers can see the content as intended. However, this also means that post descriptions may become less relevant due to their minimized visibility.
Creation
YouTube
Templates: A new "Use Template" button will be available under the Remix features, enabling creators to access templates for Shorts they want to recreate.
Why It Matters: Templates—from Instagram Reel templates to TikTok CapCut templates—have become synonymous with short-form videos. They lower the barrier for content creation and often lead to trendy creations that foster community engagement.
Veo: Announced at the Made On event, creators will soon gain access to Google DeepMind’s Veo tool to generate videos, including backgrounds and standalone clips for their Shorts.
Why It Matters: YouTube is expanding its AI tools by leveraging Google’s resources, allowing creators to enhance their videos without needing to film all the footage themselves. For instance, a travel creator could generate visuals of destinations they want to highlight, even without their own footage.
Community
Shorts Trends: On mobile, there will be a dedicated page for the latest trends across Shorts based on users’ countries, refreshed daily. Creators can see the number of videos created for each trend and tap a button to add their own videos.
Why It Matters: Creators now have a central location to discover trending content they can participate in, helping them connect with communities and increase their discoverability.
Comments in Shorts Feed: A preview of comments will now appear directly in the Shorts feed.
Why It Matters: Currently, users must tap the comments icon to view comments on a Short, which can often be overlooked since Shorts are primarily consumed from the feed. By displaying previews, viewers can see what others are saying, potentially encouraging them to engage and benefiting creators through increased interaction.
Customization
YouTube
Show Fewer Shorts: A new "Show Fewer Shorts" option will allow users to temporarily reduce the number of Shorts displayed in their home feed.
Why It Matters: As a platform historically known for long-form video, not all users embrace Shorts. This option provides a breather for those who prefer YouTube’s traditional format or simply want to avoid Shorts for a while.
Competing with Reels & TikTok
With these upgrades, YouTube is enhancing various aspects of Shorts, providing benefits like improved storytelling for creators through mid-range videos and promoting community engagement via Templates and the Shorts Trends page. The viewer experience is also being improved with a streamlined player and the option to see fewer Shorts if desired.
Collectively, these updates position Shorts as more competitive against TikTok and Instagram Reels. While creators will continue to share their short-form videos across multiple platforms, YouTube’s established direct monetization model remains a strong draw for creators of all sizes.
