GIF comments, Shorts series and more: What new features YouTube has added
YouTube lets users control its algorithms (photo: Getty Images)
YouTube will allow users to customize their recommendation feeds using ordinary prompts. The company has also added GIF comments, a series format for Shorts, new YouTube Music features, and automatic translation for live streams, according to the YouTube Official Blog
Custom recommendation feeds powered by Gemini
The main announcement at the event was the custom feeds feature, which will appear as separate tabs on the home page of the smartphone app, web version and smart TVs.
Instead of complicated settings, users will simply need to enter a text prompt describing exactly what they want to see.
Thanks to Gemini integration, the request can be highly detailed — from workout tips to highly specific requirements, such as "technology podcasts for a 30-minute train ride."
How do personalized feeds work?
They do not replace the home page: the standard feed with general recommendations will remain in place, while new themed tabs will be pinned alongside it.
Flexible settings: text prompts can specify preferred topics, moods and formats, or, conversely, exclude unwanted content.
Launch: testing of the feature will begin in the US soon, with a full rollout planned for October.
Read more: Gamepad instead of a bank terminal: Sony to change how games are purchased on PS5
Updates for Shorts, comments and shopping
YouTube also introduced a number of practical features for everyday use.
Among them:
Series Shorts: creators will be able to combine short videos into sequential episodes with their own covers and continuous playback.
GIFs in comments: this fall, the mobile app will get a built-in library of GIF animations for replies under videos.
Voice comments on TV: TVs will gain the ability to dictate comments using a speech-to-text tool.
Shopping through Ask YouTube: the AI chatbot can now compare products featured in videos, provide specification tables and answer questions about objects shown on screen, such as a blogger's clothing, even if it is not mentioned in the video.
Music, podcasts and the future of live streaming
YouTube Music is also getting new features. Subscribers will gain access to Ask Music for additional information about artists and for managing the playback queue.
In addition, the AI-powered Podcast Lineup tool will create a short weekly audio preview of recommended podcasts.
In streaming, the company has extended its exclusive rights to broadcast the Coachella festival through 2030 and announced React Live and Go Live Together features for collaborative creator streams.
At the beginning of 2027, YouTube plans to launch a pilot project called Live auto-dubbing — a tool for automatically dubbing live broadcasts in real time, initially supporting English and Spanish
