YouTube Brings Back Direct Messaging
▼ Summary
– YouTube is reintroducing private messaging after testing the feature, expanding it to users in the US and other regions who are 18 or older.
– The platform previously had private messaging from 2017 to 2019, then discontinued it to focus on public conversations like Stories, which was also killed in 2023.
– Users must verify their age and can only start chats by sending an invitation link through third-party messaging platforms.
– The feature is accessed via a “Messages” icon in the YouTube app, designed to encourage conversations with known contacts rather than strangers.
– YouTube says community guidelines apply to all shared content and messages, and it plans to expand the feature further soon.
YouTube is bringing back direct messaging after testing new ways for users to share videos and “have conversations about them” over the past year. The company announced on its official blog that it is now rolling out the in-app video sharing and messaging feature to users in the US and “other global regions” who are 18 or older.
The platform first launched private messaging back in 2017, but shut it down just two years later to focus on public conversations, such as its Instagram-like Stories feature, which it also discontinued in 2023. When YouTube began testing its latest in-app messaging capabilities in November 2025, the company said it was a “top feature request.”
This new system comes with some important changes. Users must verify their age before accessing the feature. Additionally, you can only start a conversation with someone after sending them an invitation link through a third-party messaging platform. To access the chat, tap the “Messages” icon at the top right of the YouTube app, which will generate a shareable link. This setup suggests YouTube is trying to keep conversations between people you already know, rather than encouraging random interactions among strangers.
“Our community loves to share videos with their friends and family, and we want them to be able to do it in one place,” YouTube said in the announcement. “Whether it’s a new music video, a helpful tutorial, or a funny Short, this update will give users a new way to share right where they’re watching.”
YouTube confirmed that its community guidelines will apply to all shared content and messages exchanged through the feature. The company also noted that it plans to expand the feature “even further soon.”
(Source: The Verge)
