YouTube Shorts Updates: Long Shorts Display Issues & Memberships Enhancements

Transcript

We need to talk about long Shorts again. Last time we discussed this, there were a lot of follow-up questions, so here’s a recap: Just because a feature is launched, doesn’t mean all Creators have immediate access. It’s a process that can take weeks or even months. YouTube’s current timeline looks like this:

Over the past week, the technical switch was made on the server side, so newly uploaded vertical and square videos under 3 minutes are now classified as Shorts. That part has been working well. However, long Shorts can still appear as videos in YouTube Studio because the Studio is programmed differently from the underlying technology. Long Shorts aren’t yet appearing in the Shorts feed—that will change by the end of next week. Then we’ll start seeing the first Shorts in the feed, but not all of them and not immediately with high reach.

The next step in the timeline is late November. That’s when long Shorts should also appear on the Shorts shelf, in the subscriber feed, and on channel pages in the Shorts tab. That’s also when YouTube Studio will switch over. Until then, the 3-minute Shorts may already be technically classified as Shorts, but they’ll still appear as videos in the Studio. I know that’s confusing, but try not to worry. Nothing bad will happen if you’ve done everything right.

The Shorts creation tool in the YouTube app will be adjusted in Q1 2025 so you can create 3-minute Shorts. Please remember that Q1 spans several months and this timeline could still change.

The information I’m sharing with you today is the latest as of October 18th. Launches can unexpectedly change, so don’t panic if you don’t have immediate access after the launch. I’ll keep you updated in the next episode of Patch Notes.

In the meantime, feel free to experiment, but keep this in mind: Long Shorts are legally riskier than regular Shorts. YouTube will globally block them if copyrighted material is detected to protect itself and you from legal consequences. While you won’t get a strike since YouTube missed the licensing, you also won’t get views because the content will be blocked. It’s the rights holders’ job to prevent content with copyrighted elements from gaining reach.

Staying on Shorts: You can now save multiple drafts in the creation tool. When you open the tool in the app, you can select a draft and continue editing without discarding your previous work—a useful feature.

There’s also a small parity update: The disclosure box for product placement can now be enabled or disabled for both Shorts and videos in Desktop and Mobile Studio—handy if you forget to do it on the go. We should maybe make a separate video about that.

Memberships and Surveys Updates

Previously, membership badges and live chat emojis had to be uploaded separately, but this process has now been simplified, especially for mobile Creators.

Also, memberships are celebrating their 5-year anniversary! The 5-year badge is already available and can be uploaded in YouTube Studio. Since some had access to the beta before the official launch in 2019, a 6-year update will follow soon.

A special thanks goes to knnom, who has been with us for 7 years—that’s truly impressive support!

Finally, I want to revisit last week’s survey. I’ve already received numerous ideas from you, and now we need to prioritize them since not all can be included in the presentation. In the video description, you’ll find two links: to the English and German surveys. Please choose the one that applies to you and participate—one response per person would be ideal. The English survey is a bit more comprehensive and includes questions about the YouTube Gaming Discord and desired resources to support you as Creators.

I’m looking forward to your feedback, and see you next week for more YouTube updates! Stay tuned and keep grinding!