YouTube has started rolling out its in-app messaging feature which has been in testing for over an year. The feature will give YouTube users an ability to share videos and chat with their contacts directly from within the app.
Users can chat about shared video using text, reply with another video, invite other people (up to 30) to the conversation with the new messaging feature. They can also react with emojis, like messages with a heart and so on. YouTube says the feature is aimed to “make sharing easier, faster and more fun on your phone.”Also introduced is a new ‘Shared’ tab at the bottom of the app, that allows you to keep track of your conversations. When users tap the “share” button on a video, they will now have the option to send it directly through the YouTube app to their contacts.
YouTube first started testing this feature in May last year with small group of people and it rolled out in Canada at the beginning of this year. The move comes from YouTube mainly because it wants to add the social element thereby increasing user engagement on its platform. The messaging feature will be quite useful as it gives a dedicated place to users who share YouTube links with their contacts quite often.