During my free time, I find myself immersed in YouTube. Like many, I easily fall into the rabbit hole of captivating videos. Occasionally, I stumble upon content worth sharing. Fortunately, YouTube now offers a streamlined sharing feature across various social platforms. But what about those times when you wish to share privately with friends? Until recently, the cumbersome process involved sending video links through messaging apps. YouTube has recognized this inconvenience and responded with a sleek new sharing feature. In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of YouTube’s latest sharing tool.
Understanding YouTube Share
YouTube Share, as the name suggests, is a new feature integrated within the YouTube app, facilitating video sharing directly within the app interface. Besides video sharing, it enables real-time chatting with friends, fostering a conversational dynamic around shared content. Additionally, users can share a video simultaneously with multiple contacts. Notably, within the YouTube app, previewing a thumbnail of the shared video before playback is possible, enhancing user awareness. Furthermore, users can initiate video playback directly within the chat interface, enhancing convenience. These streamlined functionalities contribute to seamless and enjoyable video sharing experiences. Now, let’s delve into utilizing these features.
Navigating YouTube Share
Adding Contacts to YouTube Share
Three methods exist to add contacts in your YouTube app. Notably, upon adding a contact, the recipient receives a notification and must approve your request. Subsequently, upon approval, mutual sharing of videos and messages becomes feasible.
1. The easiest method to add contacts is by using their Gmail account. Once you tap on the Shared tab, YouTube will show you the names of people in your Gmail contacts who have linked their YouTube account. You can find those contacts under the “You may know” section. To add them, simply tap “add contact” (marked in the picture). Tapping sends an invitation, and the contact will be added upon acceptance.
2. You can also add contacts by sharing the invitation link via platforms such as social media, messaging, or email. To do so, tap “Send invitation link” and choose your medium.
3. Lastly, send invitation links directly to your phone contacts by tapping on “Find in phone book” option. Remember, for this method to work, grant “contact access” permission to the YouTube app when the pop-up appears.
Sharing Videos and Chatting
As mentioned earlier, besides sharing videos, you can chat with friends within the YouTube app. The chat feature isn’t intended to compete with other chat apps (Google has its own suite of chat applications), but rather to complement the video sharing feature. There are two ways to share a video on YouTube.
1. Share the video while watching it by tapping the share button. Upon tapping, the app presents the “Share on YouTube” option alongside the usual “Share a link” option.
2. Tap on contacts you’ve added to share videos directly. Upon tapping, a chat box opens where you can write your message and send it along with the video by hitting send.
3. Share videos with someone who has not yet accepted your contact invitation by selecting contacts under the “You may know” option or using the “ADD CONTACTS” option. However, the recipient will first receive a connection request. Once accepted, the video will be delivered.
4. Share a video directly from inside the chat by opening any chat (automatically created once someone accepts your connection request) and tapping the share button. Here, view recently watched videos in chronological order. Tap to share or search for a specific video using the search bar.
3. Sharing Videos With Multiple Contacts (Group Chat)
1. To share a video with multiple contacts, tap the share button while watching a video. Select desired contacts, type your message if needed, then send.
2. After sending, YouTube creates a new group with chosen contacts. Each member can view the message and video, functioning like group chats on other messaging apps.
Share Videos and Chat in the YouTube App
The new sharing feature in the YouTube app garners mixed reactions. Personally, I find it convenient. Hidden in a separate tab, it doesn’t disrupt normal usage. Requiring acceptance before sharing prevents unwanted messages from strangers, giving users control. If uninterested, one can simply ignore it. Explore the feature and share your thoughts in the comments.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
