YouTube Brings Back Direct Messaging — Will It Stick This Time?

YouTube

YouTube checks the box for a lot of things, but one big gap it has had? Direct messaging. YouTube actually had native messaging for a few years but shut down the feature in 2019 to focus on public interactions like comments.

Now it is bringing it back. The platform announced it is experimenting with a new native messaging feature, which it says is one of its biggest requests.

How It Works

Starting in Ireland and Poland for users over 18, the feature will allow users to send Shorts, long-form videos, and live streams directly to other users.

Messaging starts with an invite link. Once accepted, users can share content and chat in a dedicated space. Users must follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines and have the option to block and report as needed.

Why Now

When YouTube had DMs, messaging across social media was not what it is today. Now it is a central part of the experience, especially on platforms like Instagram, where messaging continues to grow and is a core feature. A big part of Instagram messaging is how people share and consume content. For example, 85 percent of content shared via DMs are Reels, and nearly 700,000 Reels are shared in DMs every minute.

This growth has influenced product updates across platforms. Instagram put DMs front and center. Threads added DMs and Group Chats. TikTok and LinkedIn have enhanced messaging. Even Spotify and Airbnb have added native messaging experiences.

Will It Work?

The timing is much more favorable for YouTube today, but adoption is not guaranteed. YouTube’s social ecosystem is not as friend-centric as Instagram’s, which limits natural messaging activity. Think about how many friends you are connected with on Instagram compared to YouTube. It is not even close.

Messaging is unlikely to take off on YouTube like it does elsewhere, but there are still benefits. It adds a social layer to YouTube, complementing recently launched features like Communities. Sharing content via messages creates new discovery paths for creators, gives YouTube additional signals to improve recommendations, and opens up opportunities for creators to reach out to their most engaged fans directly.

Building out messaging also gives YouTube a chance to align its short-form video experiences more closely with Instagram and TikTok. The platform could add a count for how many times a Shorts has been shared via messages, which could create network effects.

Private and Public

While YouTube is expanding private interactions, Snapchat, built on private chats, is exploring the opposite approach: more public discussions. Its new Topic Chats feature, currently being tested in the US, Canada, and New Zealand, let users join conversations across Stories, Spotlight, and Search, inspired by how communities interact in public comments on Spotlight videos.

Whether private spaces like DMs and group chats or public forums like Communities and Topic Chats, users want places to engage around creators, communities, and cultural moments. Sometimes private, sometimes public, platforms need to support that fluidity.

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