YouTube is about to support a feature that allows creators to reply to viewers' comments with their voice

YouTube is testing a new feature that will allow creators and channel owners to respond to viewers' comments using their own voice instead of having to manually type them out. This will make interactions more personal and engaging.

YouTube announced the new experimental feature in its official community thread. It's currently being tested with a small group of invited YouTube creators in the United States, and is currently only available on the YouTube app on iOS. However, the company says "all viewers and creators will be able to interact with these comments."

For creators participating in this test, replying to comments with their voice is simple. When replying to a comment, YouTube creators simply tap a new soundwave icon, record a voice message, and post it directly as a comment. The voice reply will be visible and accessible for both viewers and other creators to interact with, creating a more dynamic conversation.

YouTube's voice replies to comments feature is currently only available to creators on their own channels. YouTube is actively gathering feedback during the test and will improve the feature to refine the experience and determine the potential for a broader rollout. The option to listen to voice messages on a web browser is not currently supported, and is only available on the mobile apps.

With this new feature, YouTube hopes to create a more meaningful relationship between creators and their audiences, as voice messages add a personal touch that helps creators connect with fans on a deeper level. It's unclear when the feature will expand to Android, but the development appears to be part of a broader effort by YouTube to give creators more control over the platform. YouTube also recently gave creators more control over how third-party AI companies can use their content to train AI.

Kareem Winters

Update 20 December 2024