Popular video-sharing app YouTube has started testing QR codes for its channels on the platform. The company says the idea behind the rollout would be to facilitate broader and faster connectivity which users can benefit from.
The app is also rolling out new tests for Shorts including innovative effects while it expands access for its Jump Ahead endeavor related to clips online.
For starters, the company mentioned how users could access a single unique QR code related to a certain channel that would assist with better and more reliable connectivity.
As per the app, creators have been longing for a feature that enables them to share their channel link faster than the usual technique of copying and pasting which serves as a challenge when they’re offline. But with a possible QR code launch for creator channels, it would now be done with ease not to mention the fact that it wouldn’t require connectivity to the web to work.
The app is said to be working so hard along this front to give rise to the sharing of Channel QR codes seen offline which they could share and scan with ease.
In case you’re wondering, QR codes are nothing new but they are said to be a great solution for a host of reasons. We feel the addition to YouTube channels can facilitate the popularity of streamlined connectivity and allow channels to get the audience and reach they deserve from subscribers wishing to view their content.
Creators would be able to search for their channel in the ‘You’ tab that’s found at the bottom of a menu on the app. After seeing the ‘Share Channel’ feature, you can press on that to find the unique code that’s customized for the channel online.
Meanwhile, in other news, the platform is rolling out new trials for a new feature called Shorts Effects. This provides a great means for engagement and is said to be super popular in terms of the latest short-form rollout.
The app feels adding this would make Shorts much more intriguing, not to mention expressive. This feature would give users more control in terms of designing and publishing unique effects related to Shorts. All creators would use these effects to produce their own Shorts connect by clicking on the Effects tab and exploring material from there.
This endeavor seems to be a great offering and quite similar to what Snap and Instagram already have in place. But from what we can see, this might be the start of many more great features from YouTube as it tries hard to keep in line with the growing competition.
The app is currently rolling the feature out to a limited audience and hopes to have an expansion on this front before the year ends.
In other news, the app is experimenting with new ways to mention other channels of the app in the comments section. This comes with an expansion of tests related to payment details seen across the YouTube Studio to a greater number of currencies.
Last but not least, the app is rolling out a new and innovative Jump Ahead feature that is based on AI technology. As the name suggests, it would be used to highlight to the viewer which part of the video is the most popular.
Similarly, it skips to those areas that a user would want to see more of and less toward uninteresting parts. So you can think of this as something that works quite like a fast-forward button.
This feature was first rolled out as a test last year in March and 92% of the majority that experimented with it found it to be a very useful addition. However, there might be some creator impacts linked to this because it means not all viewers would be watching content until the end.
Remember, less watch time means less revenue and some creators did mention that to the company who spoke on the matter. They claim such a feature wouldn’t have any significant change to watch times but it was odd how confident they were on this front.
What we can confirm is that the rollout will be up for grabs to Premium subscribers very soon. And since creators have the option to experiment with the feature using their own content without a Premium subscription, the news is major.
These are truly some very interesting features that might have the greatest impact on the app’s strategy. And we’re all for change that benefits both creators and users, what about you?
Image: DIW-AIgen
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