After bringing in countless features months after their announcement, YouTube finally has one that is being reported only a month after its reveal. Android and Apple users are now seeing a new feature on YouTube that will allow them to mark timed reactions onto videos. While most assumed this to be yet another feature of the distant future, many viewers have already started to see the feature in play on selected content.
How the feature works aren't clear yet as not many viewers can access it, but we do have a grasp on the process by now. When playing a video, the extended comments section features a floating bar. The bar consists of 4 to 5 different emojis. When selecting an emoji at a particular instant, the timeline will show that emoji. This is similar to SoundCloud's previous feature, where users could react to a song's particular moment.
Since privacy is a priority now and big social media platforms are misusing users' engagement, the platform declared the reactions to be anonymous. The purpose of this reaction is to only note what was reacted upon, not who reacted.
Since the platform is subject to constant change, YouTube has already specified that these emojis are not set. The reactions will change according to the content of the video as well as the kind of reactions it receives.
The feature is not open for all. Users with YouTube v17.19.34 are experiencing this update however is confirmed that not all users see this just yet. YouTube has confirmed that only specific YouTubers have access to this feature for testing purposes meaning only some of the viewers might be able to experience it. YouTube also did show us a little glimpse of this feature in action with its reveal and we are glad to announce that iOS and Apple are seeing the feature.
Lastly, not all is in the hands of YouTube. YouTubers have the power to disable or enable this feature if they please. This means that it might be on for certain content while it might not be enabled for others. We speculate this is to give the content creators more freedom while increasing the number of options available.
If you have not yet been able to experience this new emoji, it might be either because it has not reached the creator in question just yet or the option has been disabled. Anyhow, we are guessing this timed emoji will be a part of your videos in no time!
H/T: 9to5Google.
Read next: YouTube’s New Studio Content Tab Provides Insights On Creator’s Performance For Live-Streams, Shorts, And Other Formats
How the feature works aren't clear yet as not many viewers can access it, but we do have a grasp on the process by now. When playing a video, the extended comments section features a floating bar. The bar consists of 4 to 5 different emojis. When selecting an emoji at a particular instant, the timeline will show that emoji. This is similar to SoundCloud's previous feature, where users could react to a song's particular moment.
Since privacy is a priority now and big social media platforms are misusing users' engagement, the platform declared the reactions to be anonymous. The purpose of this reaction is to only note what was reacted upon, not who reacted.
Since the platform is subject to constant change, YouTube has already specified that these emojis are not set. The reactions will change according to the content of the video as well as the kind of reactions it receives.
The feature is not open for all. Users with YouTube v17.19.34 are experiencing this update however is confirmed that not all users see this just yet. YouTube has confirmed that only specific YouTubers have access to this feature for testing purposes meaning only some of the viewers might be able to experience it. YouTube also did show us a little glimpse of this feature in action with its reveal and we are glad to announce that iOS and Apple are seeing the feature.
Lastly, not all is in the hands of YouTube. YouTubers have the power to disable or enable this feature if they please. This means that it might be on for certain content while it might not be enabled for others. We speculate this is to give the content creators more freedom while increasing the number of options available.
If you have not yet been able to experience this new emoji, it might be either because it has not reached the creator in question just yet or the option has been disabled. Anyhow, we are guessing this timed emoji will be a part of your videos in no time!
H/T: 9to5Google.
Read next: YouTube’s New Studio Content Tab Provides Insights On Creator’s Performance For Live-Streams, Shorts, And Other Formats
