Social throwback 2025: YouTube features and policy updates for creators and users

YouTube introduced numerous features and updates throughout 2025, focusing on AI-powered tools, creator monetisation, and enhanced user experiences.

The platform's parent company, Alphabet, reported its first-ever $100 billion quarterly revenue, with strong performances across search, YouTube, and its cloud business. YouTube's advertising revenue grew to $10.3 billion from $8.9 billion, while Alphabet attributed it to over 300 million paid subscriptions across Google One and YouTube Premium combined.

These updates seem to reflect YouTube's continued expansion in areas including AI editing capabilities, community engagement tools, and monetisation options for creators.

From testing new editing features to implementing compliance with international regulations in December, YouTube aims to consistently roll out changes aimed at improving both creator and viewer experiences across the platform.

January 2025

• YouTube began testing a floating ‘Play something’ button. When clicked, it automatically selects and plays a video for the viewer. It also tested picture-in-picture for Shorts on iOS.
• It rolled out experimental features for Premium users, including improved audio quality, faster mobile playback and a ‘Jump Ahead’ option on the web.

• YouTube Music introduced the 'Ask Music' feature, allowing users to request playlists, available in the U.K. and Ireland.
• It allowed all users to create Shorts up to three minutes long, completing the rollout announced in October last year.

February 2025

• YouTube expanded its test of audio replies, allowing more creators to leave voice responses to comments.
• Also introduced 'Promote' option for Shorts, allowing creators to pay for increased visibility directly from the YouTube Studio app.
• Expanded text-to-speech feature that enabled creators to overlay an automated voiceover onto their Shorts.

• The platform integrated its Dream Screen tool with Google's Veo 2 AI video model, enabling creators to add AI-generated video clips to their YouTube Shorts.
• It partnered with Repurpose.io to allow creators to repost content from TikTok and Instagram Reels directly to YouTube Shorts.
• Introduced AI-powered updates to its 'Replace Song' function in YouTube Studio and launched a new test for its 'Hype' programme.

March 2025

• Announced a series of new safety features for teen users, alongside the release of a new parent guide.
• YouTube began testing the ability for creators to hide the end screen from their videos. The end screen typically displays promotional thumbnails or product listings.
• The platform introduced YouTube Premium Lite in the United States. This subscription tier costs $7.99 per month and provides users with an ad-free viewing experience.
• Revised the way it counts its Shorts views. It reflected the number of times a video starts to play or is replayed.
• Rolled out Shorts visual guides that show where added elements, such as captions and stickers, appear within the Shorts interface and what may obstruct on-screen content.

• Introduced a new way to display channel subscriber counts in its mobile app and is also tested features to let live streamers take breaks during broadcasts.

April 2025

• Rolled out new Shorts features, including an updated editing interface, automatic beat syncing to music, AI-generated stickers, improved templates and other tools.

• Expanded its generative AI soundtrack tools, adding new beat-matching features for Shorts, and introducing a new ID verification process for creator monetisation.
• Added auto-dubbing feature that lets creators automatically translate their content into multiple languages for all YouTube Partner Program members, along with a new live-stream donation option called ‘combo-gifting.’
• Rolled out 4x playback speed for YouTube Premium subscribers and added an AI-based option to create your own radio channel.

• Tested blurred video thumbnails for adult content within search results and related displays in the app.
• Added a ‘Top channels’ display for quick access to their most-visited channels, a ‘Continue your search’ shelf ‘Listen again’ shelf for music clips, a ‘Live performances, remixes, and covers’ section, and a dedicated Podcasts tab and a new Shorts shelf.

May 2025

• YouTube began testing a two-person Premium plan. This experiment offers a Premium subscription for two people at a reduced cost compared to two individual subscriptions.
• Aimed to use AI to identify the emotional peaks of video clips, then place ads within that moment, when users are most engaged.
• Rolled out a more immersive design for its Masthead Ads on Connected TV (CTV), with animated, full-width displays.
• Improved that’ll remove the need to prompt YouTube to review uploads.
• Tested a feature that lets Shorts viewers search what appears in a clip, using Google Lens to scan videos for objects, people and translatable text, etc.
• Announced updates to its content review process to improve monetisation accuracy, with videos marked by a yellow icon now automatically sent for an additional review, including possible human checks.

• Introduced new ad format aimed at enhancing monetisation for livestream creators, with side-by-side mid-roll ads now available on eligible connected TV (CTV) and web broadcasts.

June 2025

• YouTube expanded access to its Communities feature, which had initially launched to select channels in February.

• YouTube launched Open Call, a new feature that allows brands to place open calls for collaborations with creators in the Partner Program.
• The platform rolled out changes to Advanced Mode in YouTube Analytics. These changes included a new left-hand sidebar with additional controls for configuring reports.
• Announced new updates aimed at reducing potential risks to young users, restricting the minimum age to host a livestream to 16.
• Added new AI search results, which aimed to help guide the user's discovery process in the app.

July 2025

• Informed creators that they’ll now be able to share channel and audience data with brands for potential partnership opportunities.

• Clarified changes to its monetisation guidelines, introducing improved detection measures to identify and address 'mass-produced' or 'repetitive' content that lacks originality.
• YouTube began experimenting with Ask Studio, a tool designed to summarise comments, analyse channel performance data, and help creators brainstorm content ideas.

• The platform started testing a video title testing option in YouTube Studio as it expanded its Test & Compare feature, allowing more users to access thumbnail testing functionality.
• Began testing a new comment threading feature intended to provide a more focused reading experience and help users easily understand conversations.
• Rolled out a new machine learning-based age estimation feature to a limited group of users in the U.S.
• Shorts released an image-to-video AI feature that transforms photos into videos.

• Expanded its 'Hype' creator support feature to additional markets and introduced a new set of animated, summer-themed gifts for live streams.
• Changed its monetisation policy for videos containing profanity. Videos with swear words in the first seven seconds became eligible for full ad revenue.

August 2025

• Tested a new option to enable creators to add collaborators to the video title display, to help showcase a broader range of creators across its clips.
• The platform added a new Trim Silence tool specifically designed for podcast creators.
• Launched a new Effect Maker feature for Shorts creators.
• Added capacity to edit auto-dubbed clips, increased the number of images to post on the community channel from five to ten and provided more CTA button options to choose from.

• Enabled creators to display app promotions in their clips.
• Added multiple artist engagement features to YouTube Music.

September 2025

• YouTube added social sharing options to its Community Posts feature, making it easier for creators to share their community posts across other platforms.
• The platform gave creators the option to hide end screens on their videos. It also removed the hover-to-subscribe button on desktop.
• Added new comment filters, including a notable filter for responses with new replies.

• Expanded its Premium Lite pilot to India, offering users a lower-cost subscription option.
• Introduced multiple updates, including AI generation options for Shorts, expanded analytics options, auto-dubbing expansion, a heap of livestream updates, and more.
• Announced the launch of Demand Gen Drops, a monthly update designed to keep advertisers informed about new features in its Demand Gen tool.

October 2025

• Announced public-to-member livestreams, enabling creators to transition public live streams to members-only access during the broadcast.
• The platform updated its Shorts editor to separate projects into distinct audio and video tracks.
• Rolled out a UI refresh that included expanded voice replies, expanded access to courses, and updates on fixable violations.
• The platform added AI-generated Q&A stickers and a new time limit option, along with Halloween-themed stickers.
• Announced that it will allow some previously banned creators to return to the platform under a new pilot program.
• Rolled out prompts to assist teen users with mental health problems, along with custom content created by teen mental health experts.

• Added more control options to its livestream leaderboards so that creators can decide when these leaderboards are shown within their broadcasts.
• Strengthened the enforcement of our Community Guidelines around online gambling and graphic violence in gaming. 

November 2025

• It began expanding access to comment summaries in YouTube Studio. This feature initially rolled out to a small test group.
• The platform expanded access to AI editing features, including standalone clips, greenscreen backgrounds, and additional smart tools to speed up video creation.

• Introduced paid versus organic metrics, dual-format streaming, allowing creators to broadcast horizontally and vertically at once. It also rolled out Edit with AI, a feature that automatically assembles a creator’s raw footage into a first-draft edit, complete with music, transitions, and narration.
• Began rolling out a beta feature that automatically reduces costs for underperforming Demand Gen Target CPA (tCPA) campaigns.
• Tested a way for users to interact around shared content, while it has also added enhanced controls for product timestamps in clips.
• Tested a feature called ‘Your custom feed,’ that lets users customise recommendations for their Home feed.

December 2025

• YouTube expanded access to its title A/B testing feature, allowing more creators to test which titles drive better views and engagement.
• Expressive Captions began rolling out across all devices. These captions feature fun animations and personality to help viewers enjoy a more engaging caption experience.

• Renamed its tool for sharing sponsored content access with advertisers, allowing creators to formally share access to sponsored videos, including long-form content and Shorts, with selected brands.

• Tested and rolled out the display of image posts within its Shorts feed, expanding the types of content that may appear alongside short-form videos.
• Google Labs has expanded testing of its experimental Portraits feature to a small group of YouTube creators.