YouTube Tests Direct Messaging for Video Sharing

YouTube has begun testing a direct messaging feature within its mobile app, allowing users to share and discuss videos privately, six years after discontinuing a similar system. The limited experiment, which started this week, is available only to adults aged 18 and older in Ireland and Poland.

According to YouTube's support page, the feature enables signed-in users to send long-form videos, Shorts, and livestreams directly into private chat threads. Users can initiate conversations by generating an invite link through the notification bell or share button, which recipients must accept to join. Once connected, sharing becomes straightforward: select a contact from a list under a video's share options and send the content for real-time discussion. Participants can add friends to group chats, block users, report conversations, or delete messages by long-pressing them.

The platform described the test as an effort to address a "top feature request" from users seeking easier ways to share content without leaving the app. YouTube officials noted that the system aims to foster more natural interactions around videos, building on recent additions like multiplayer games in Playables and...