YouTube has expanded access to its Courses feature, introduced in 2022, which allows creators to offer both free and paid learning programs via playlists. These playlists now display a special course badge on the Watch and Playlist pages, in search results, and other discovery areas.

YouTube is experimenting with new content discovery experiences on the Watch Page and in Shorts. Viewers in this test may encounter various video formats in different experiences, such as long-form videos appearing in the Shorts feed or new feeds dedicated to long-form content.

YouTube is expanding its partnership with Shopify, allowing eligible Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants in the US to join YouTube Shopping’s affiliate program. Merchants can sign up through the Google and YouTube app on Shopify and manage their programs via Google Merchant Center.

YouTube has introduced an AI-powered tool in the Help Center to assist creators with account recovery after hacks. This new feature helps secure Google logins and undo changes made by hackers. Currently available in English, YouTube plans to expand access to all creators soon.

YouTube is expanding its partnership with Shopify, allowing all eligible Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants in the US to sign up for YouTube’s Shopping affiliate program via the Google and YouTube app on Shopify.

YouTube has started adding ‘New’ labels to Shorts that have recently been uploaded. When searching for content, some Shorts may display a small label at the top left with the word 'New' in white text on a black background.

YouTube is testing picture-in-picture ads for live streams.

YouTube announced several new tools for Shorts, which Rene Ritchie, YouTube's Creator Liaison, and Johanna Voolich, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, discussed in more detail during a sit-down.

YouTube now supports handles in 75 languages, allowing creators to personalize unique handles

YouTube has updated its Erase Song tool with an AI-powered algorithm to accurately detect and remove copyrighted content.

YouTube has started rolling out the Test & Compare feature to creators with access to Advanced Features. This tool allows creators to upload up to three video thumbnails for testing with their viewers, selecting the most effective thumbnail based on which generates the highest watch time share.

YouTube is currently testing Creator QR Codes.