YouTube Tests 'Most Relevant' Filter for Subscription Feeds

New ‘Most Relevant’ Filter Coming to YouTube Subscription Feeds

YouTube is continuing its streak of UI experiments, moving beyond the Watchpage to bring changes to how users interact with their subscription feed. The platform is currently testing a “most relevant” filter chip, a feature designed to change the way viewers discover content from the channels they already follow.

How the ‘Most Relevant’ Filter Works

Traditionally, subscription feeds have functioned primarily as chronological lists of new uploads. The introduction of the “most relevant” filter shifts this dynamic by prioritizing videos based on individual user behavior.

When activated, YouTube uses a small, personalized user profile to determine which videos should appear at the top of the feed. This profiling is based on several interaction signals, including:

• Recently watched videos: Content that aligns with the viewer’s current interests.
• Comment activity: Channels where the user actively engages in discussions.
• General interaction patterns: Other behavioral data that indicates a strong connection between the viewer and specific creators.

By sorting the feed this way, YouTube aims to surface the content the user is most likely to enjoy first, rather than simply showing the most recent upload regardless of its relevance to that specific person.

An Opt-In Approach for Creators and Viewers

One of the most critical aspects of this experiment is that it is an opt-in feature. Users must actively choose to apply the “most relevant” filter chip; otherwise, their subscription feed remains in its standard format.

From a Creator’s perspective, this optional nature is a significant advantage. Because the filter does not force a change on the entire user base, it allows YouTube to monitor the success of the feature without risking a widespread disruption of how content is delivered. This creates a controlled environment where both viewers and Creators can gauge whether personalized sorting improves the overall experience or if the traditional chronological feed remains preferable.

Mobile Enhancements for Member-Only Shorts

In addition to feed experiments, YouTube has rolled out a functional update for those utilizing channel memberships. Creators can now upload member-only Shorts directly through the mobile Shorts upload flow.

Previously, this capability was restricted to desktop uploads, which created a friction point for Creators who prefer the agility of mobile content creation. By integrating this into the mobile workflow, YouTube is making it easier for Creators to provide exclusive, short-form value to their paying supporters on the go.

The Strategic Value of Exclusive Shorts

While the technical ability to upload these via mobile is a win for convenience, it raises an interesting strategic question regarding exclusive Shorts for members.

Because Shorts are, by definition, brief, some Creators may find themselves torn between the ease of producing short-form content and the desire to provide “substantial” value to members. When users pay for a membership, there is often an expectation of high-value or deep-dive content. The challenge for Creators moving forward will be finding a balance—using member-only Shorts for quick updates, behind-the-scenes snippets, or “bite-sized” exclusives without sacrificing the perceived value of the membership tier.

Addressing Membership Payout Discrepancies

Beyond feature updates, it is essential for Creators to keep a close eye on the financial side of YouTube memberships. Recent investigations have highlighted potentially alarming discrepancies in how membership revenue is processed and paid out.

In some cases, a Creator might see a gross membership income—for example, €500—but find that the actual payout hitting their account is significantly lower, such as €4. Such a drastic gap can be jarring and suggests that there are complexities in the payout structure or potential issues that Creators need to be aware of.

Understanding these financial breakdowns is vital for protecting your revenue. It is highly recommended that Creators regularly audit their membership earnings and investigate any significant gaps between reported income and actual payouts to ensure they are receiving the correct funds.

Staying Updated with Community Insights

As YouTube continues to iterate on its platform, staying connected through community discussions and Q&A sessions remains one of the best ways to navigate these changes. Whether it is discussing the implications of a new filter or troubleshooting payout issues, real-time interaction helps Creators adapt more quickly to platform shifts.

Keeping notifications active for patch rundowns and live streams ensures you don’t miss critical updates that could impact your channel’s discoverability or revenue.

Original transcript

Transcript

YouTube is experimenting again, not just with the Watchpage UI—the subscription feed is also getting a little experiment: the so-called “most relevant” filter chip. This displays the videos that YouTube deems most relevant based on your recently watched videos, comments written, etc., at the top. Essentially, YouTube is creating a small user profile.

It’s an opt-in feature, meaning users must actively choose to use this filter chip. Otherwise, everything stays as it was—I initially think this is a very good thing. Since it concerns the subscription feed, it ensures that the experiment will be a success for both Creators and viewers and will be closely monitored. I consider these good test conditions to try something like this out. Check if you already have it and share your concerns as a Creator with me if you have any.

Next up is a launch: Member-only Shorts can now also be uploaded via the Shorts upload flow on mobile devices. Previously, this was only possible on desktop. Do you already use exclusive Shorts for members? Feel free to share your experiences and ideas with me. I sometimes feel torn about this because a Short is quite short, and you want to offer something more substantial for members.

Additionally, we delved deep into YouTube memberships this week. We investigated how it can be that a Creator receives €500 in memberships but only €4 in the payout (more on this in another video). I broke it down and showed how to protect yourself from such issues.

There was also another Q&A stream—make sure to turn on the bell so you don’t miss these streams! Then we can casually chat about YouTube. I’m looking forward to our next patch rundown next week and wish you all the best until then!

Sources

• youtube.com

Confused about YouTube's 'Most Relevant' filter? This new feature personalizes your subscription feed based on your activity. If you're a Creator with concerns, head over to Creator Services for expert advice and support.