YouTube is making it easier to share videos with friends and waste their time, too

What Happened: YouTube is finally doing the thing everyone has wanted: it’s testing a direct messaging feature right inside the app!

• For now, it’s only available to signed-in users aged 18 and up in Poland and Ireland.
• It’s a full-on chat screen built right into the YouTube mobile app. You can share long-form videos, Shorts, and livestreams directly into a private chat thread, discuss the content, or bring more friends into the conversation. Sharing works using the normal “Share” button, which is smart and intuitive.
• This test is one of several social features YouTube has added recently, like multiplayer games through Playables and live sharing with Google Meet for Premium members.

Why Is This Important: This is a big deal because YouTube has always been missing that built-in social connection.

• It constantly forces you to switch to WhatsApp or Instagram just to send a video link and talk about it.
• This new feature signals that YouTube wants to be more than just a place where you watch videos; it’s experimenting with becoming a full social network.
• If it expands globally, this could completely change how we share videos and make YouTube a massive communication hub.

Why Should I Care: So, what’s the actual benefit for you? (Or “If/when this hits your region…”):

• You’ll be able to share stuff way faster without having to leave the app.
• Group chats around videos will feel much more natural and instant, especially for Shorts or clips from a livestream.
• No more copying links, switching apps, and hoping your friends open it.
• It’s all centralized, which is just a huge convenience.

What’s Next: YouTube says it’s just testing the waters, so a global rollout depends entirely on how users in Poland and Ireland like it.

• If it goes well, expect it to expand everywhere, gain better controls, and potentially even hook up to its other new social features like Playables and Meet live sharing.
• A full worldwide launch could quietly turn YouTube into a much more conversation-driven platform.