YouTube Updates 2024: New features, improved monetisation, & creator tools

In 2024, YouTube unveiled a series of updates and features designed to address key challenges and adapt to evolving digital content trends. With over two billion logged-in users globally, the platform introduced significant changes impacting creators, viewers, and advertisers alike. These updates focused on enforcing stricter measures against ad blockers, rolling out tools to combat misleading content, and enhancing user engagement through innovative features.

One major shift was the integration of advanced AI tools like Google DeepMind’s Veo, which powers Dream Screen in Shorts, allowing creators to generate realistic video backgrounds and clips. The year also saw the expansion of the Playables platform, offering over 130 mini-games with multiplayer support across devices, and enhancements to the auto-dubbing feature to support creators reaching global audiences.

Compliance with Google Chrome’s Manifest V3 brought sweeping changes to ad delivery and ad-blocking tools, while YouTube VR introduced co-watching options, enabling users to share immersive viewing experiences. Further updates included fine-tuned playback speed controls, improved landscape browsing, and new community engagement tools such as an Inspiration tab and a dedicated Community Hub in YouTube Studio.

Here's an overview of YouTube's feature releases and policy updates for 2024.

January 

• Creators could now display the top clips of their videos on their channel Home tab, sorted by popularity and recency in the 'Top community clips' section

February 

• YouTube Create was expanded to 21 countries/regions, allowing creators to edit and publish videos directly from their Android devices.

March 

• Creators were required to disclose whether their content was meaningfully altered or synthetically generated when uploading videos.
• Allowed creators to upload videos and Shorts and set their monetization status directly on mobile devices.

April 

• Creators could filter performance metrics such as watch time and average view duration by new or returning viewers in YouTube Analytics.
• Creators could now compare the number of impressions and click-through rates (CTR) between new and returning viewers.
• YouTube Shorts allowed creators to remix content that had already been remixed, enhancing creative possibilities. 
• YouTube Studio enabled creators to view, manage, and share clips directly within the platform.

May 

• YouTube launched the Inspiration Tab, where creators could use AI-powered tools to brainstorm video ideas, outlines, titles, and thumbnails.
• YouTube channel pages displayed all visibility states (published, private, scheduled, unlisted, and membership videos) with filter chips for easier sorting by latest, oldest, and most popular content, alongside video restrictions and failed uploads.  
• YouTube rolled out community post access to most channels over the following weeks.

August 

• A simplified version of the channel layout was introduced, especially for smaller channels. This update removed the 'Home tab' but allowed creators to turn it back on through YouTube Studio.
• Changes were made to the YouTube Partner Program suspension process, allowing creators to appeal before their channel was suspended.

September 

• Creators could now select a frame from their Shorts to use as a thumbnail, adding text and filters directly when creating Shorts on both Android and iPhone.
• Rolled out AI deepfake detection tool.

October 

• YouTube experimented with changes to minimum payment thresholds as part of efforts to improve monetization infrastructure.
•  Allowed creators to upload Shorts up to three minutes long, although Shorts longer than one minute with an active Content ID claim were blocked.

November 

• Creators who connected their Shopify stores to YouTube Shopping could now view performance data, including total sales and orders, directly in YouTube Analytics.
• The Community tab in YouTube Studio was upgraded with new tools designed to help creators manage their communities more efficiently.

December 

• Launched Q&A stickers for live streams on mobile devices, a feature that had already been available on Shorts, allowing real-time engagement with customisable prompts.
• A new setting was introduced, enabling creators to choose whether their content could be used by third-party companies to train AI models.
• The Inspiration Tab was moved to the Content page in YouTube Studio on desktop, offering AI-powered tools to help creators brainstorm ideas and generate video outlines. The Trends Tab, available on all devices in Analytics, was also updated to offer trending topics and ideas for videos.
• Creators were allowed to upload long-form videos and Shorts via external apps on both Android and iOS devices.
• Bulk uploading from third-party apps to YouTube on Android was phased out from mid-November 2024, although bulk upload from desktop remained unaffected.
• Creators were reminded to submit their tax information by December 10 to remain compliant with YouTube’s monetisation policies.
• Announced plans to crack down on clickbait videos.
• Tested voice reply feature for comments.