YouTube expands auto-dubbing tool to all users, tests lip sync feature

YouTube has announced a series of updates to its auto-dubbing tool, aimed at making it easier for viewers to discover and enjoy content from creators around the world, while giving creators greater control over how their videos are presented in different languages.

“Discovering new creators shouldn’t require a translator,” the platform said, adding that the new features are designed to “make global stories feel local” and ensure that exploring content from anywhere in the world is “as easy as pressing play.”

Auto dubbing is available to all users, with support expanded to 27 languages. YouTube said that in December, it averaged more than 6 million daily viewers who watched at least 10 minutes of auto-dubbed content. The broader language library aims to make it easier for audiences to discover creators from more regions.

To improve the quality of dubbed videos, the platform has also introduced ‘Expressive Speech’ for all channels in eight languages - English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The feature is designed to better reflect a creator’s original tone, emotion and energy.

“We know that one size doesn't fit all for viewers enjoying auto-dubbed content,” YouTube said. As part of that effort, the platform has added a new Preferred Language setting, allowing users to choose whether they want to hear videos in a specific language or in the original audio.

While the platform already defaults language selection based on viewing history, the new setting gives users more direct control.

The platform is also testing a Lip Sync pilot to make dubbed videos feel more natural. The feature subtly aligns a speaker’s lip movements with the translated audio, aiming to make the experience closer to watching the original video.

The updates are also designed to benefit creators. New automatic smart filters can identify videos that should not be dubbed, such as music videos or silent vlogs, helping creators preserve the original intent of their content.

The auto dubbing does not negatively affect a video’s discovery and could help content reach audiences in additional languages.

Creators retain full control; they can provide their own dubs or turn off auto dubbing entirely. “We are committed to giving creators full agency over how their stories are told in every language, while providing viewers with the flexibility to choose how they listen,” the platform said.

YouTube encouraged users to look out for auto-dubbing on upcoming videos as it rolls out what it described as the next phase of global storytelling.