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YouTube will soon require watch history to be enabled to show video suggestions (support.google.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

69 comments fedilink hide all child comments

On the flip side, this also means users have the option to have a cleaner, less cluttered interface.

Full text:

[AUGUST 8, 2023] A new viewer experience that better corresponds to your YouTube watch history preferences

One of the benefits of having YouTube watch history on is that it enables YouTube to provide video recommendations you may be interested in; however, we know some prefer to clear and turn off your YouTube watch history. Starting today, we’re changing how you see recommendations on YouTube, based on your Watch History settings:

Starting today, if you have YouTube watch history off and have no significant prior watch history, features that require watch history to provide video recommendations will be disabled – like your YouTube home feed. This means that starting today, your home feed may look a lot different: you’ll be able to see the search bar and the left-hand guide menu, with no feed of recommended videos thus allowing you to more easily search, browse subscribed channels and explore Topic tabs instead.

We’re rolling these changes out slowly, over the next few months. We are launching this new experience to make it more clear which YouTube features rely on watch history to provide video recommendations and make it more streamlined for those of you who prefer to search rather than browse recommendations. You can change your YouTube watch history settings at any time based on whether you prefer us to provide video recommendations or not.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They did the opposite and shoved a pointless shorts section in the middle of your subscription page so you can't see what you actually want to look at.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I know I’ll catch shit for this but I kinda don’t mind shorts. Sometimes I don’t have anything specific to watch and I just wanna waste 10 mins…

The content quality varies wildly and it doesn’t seem to have a very good algorithm but it succeeds in helping me burn 5-10 mins while I’m waiting on someone or something.

I think YouTube expects people to burn hours on it like TikTok but I don’t see that happening.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

That's what I use lemmy for.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Still, it sucks that they're pushing them so hard on everyone. I tried to see the appeal, but I can't stomach short form content at all. I get whiplash!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I don't mind them existing either. My issue is with how they show up in the subscription feed now. I'd prefer separate feeds for shorts.