YouTube Kills The Subscribe Watermark | New Gift Goals & More

YouTube Streamlines Features: The End of the Subscribe Watermark and New Live Tools

YouTube is currently undergoing a series of updates aimed at cleaning up legacy features and refining the user interface for both creators and viewers. From the removal of long-standing branding tools to new monetization goals for vertical live streams, these changes reflect a shift toward mobile optimization and more professional control over live broadcasts.

The Deprecation of the Subscribe Watermark

In a move that marks the end of an era for channel branding, YouTube is officially deprecating the subscribe button watermark. For years, creators could upload a small, square icon—often a “Subscribe” graphic or a channel logo—that sat in the bottom right corner of their videos. When hovered over on a desktop, this watermark allowed viewers to subscribe without leaving the video player.

Why is it going away?

YouTube’s decision is driven primarily by the shift in viewer behavior toward mobile devices. On mobile platforms, where the vast majority of consumption now happens, the watermark has become largely obsolete. The platform noted that the icon is frequently obscured by other user interface (UI) elements or is simply too small to be an effective call to action. Data indicates that very few viewers were actually clicking on these watermarks, rendering the feature ineffective for growing a subscriber base.

Effective alternatives for growth

With the removal of this legacy tool, creators should lean into more active and visible methods of audience acquisition. If you are looking to replace the functionality of the watermark, consider these proven strategies:

• Clear Verbal Calls to Action (CTAs): Directly asking viewers to subscribe within the video content remains one of the most effective ways to convert a viewer into a subscriber.
• End Screens: Utilizing the final 20 seconds of a video to place a clickable subscribe element is far more visible than a small corner icon.
• Pinned Comments: Using the comment section to remind viewers why they should follow your channel provides a high-visibility touchpoint right below the video player.

From a development perspective, removing this feature allows YouTube to redirect resources away from maintaining an underused legacy tool and toward more impactful platform improvements.

New Monetization Tools for Vertical Live Streams

While some features are being removed, others are being added—though availability remains limited by region. YouTube is introducing “Gift Goals” specifically for vertical live streaming.

Understanding Gift Goals

Gift Goals allow creators to set a specific target for the number of fan funding gifts or “YouTube Jewels” they wish to receive during a broadcast. This creates a visual objective for the community to rally around, potentially increasing engagement and revenue during live events.

It is important to make a clear distinction here: Gift Goals are not related to gifted memberships. These goals apply exclusively to the small, animated gifts that viewers can purchase and send during vertical streams. To keep these interactions fresh, YouTube has also announced a new collection of gift designs arriving this fall, featuring pumpkin-themed animations.

Regional Availability Caveat

Creators outside of the United States should note that this feature is currently only available in the US. There is currently no confirmed timeline for an international rollout. For most global creators, these updates serve as a preview of potential future tools rather than immediate options for their toolkit.

YouTube Studio Housekeeping and Moderation Updates

Beyond monetization and branding, YouTube is implementing several quality-of-life improvements within YouTube Studio to make channel management more intuitive.

Streamlining User Management

YouTube is decluttering the channel moderation settings to reduce visual noise and improve navigation. The primary change involves the “User Management” section; rather than requiring creators to scroll through a long list of settings, User Management now has its own dedicated tab. While this is purely a UI tweak with no changes to actual functionality, it simplifies the workflow for creators who frequently manage their moderators and blocked users.

Opting Out of Live Leaderboards

In addition to the Studio cleanup, creators now have more granular control over how their vertical live streams appear to the public. Specifically, YouTube has added an option to turn off leaderboards for a channel.

This feature was developed in response to feedback from corporate entities and news organizations. While leaderboards can be exciting for gaming or entertainment creators, they are often seen as inappropriate or unprofessional for news stations and corporate broadcasts. This opt-out ensures that professional streams can maintain a formal tone while still allowing live chat interaction.

Original transcript

Transcript

What’s up everyone and welcome back to the YouTube news. This week, YouTube is finally getting rid of a feature that probably no one uses anymore. We’re getting new tools for vertical live streams that most of the world can’t utilize, and some general housekeeping in YouTube Studio. Let’s dive right in.

Alright, let’s start with the biggest news: YouTube is officially deprecating the subscribe button watermark. You know, the little icon in the bottom right corner of your videos that you could set up in your channel branding? Yep, that’s going away.

YouTube’s reasoning is pretty solid here. They say that on mobile, where most people are watching, the watermark is either covered by other UI elements or just too small to be effective. The data shows that very few people were actually clicking on it. What are the alternatives? Well, the ones you should’ve been using all along: a clear call to action in your video (like “Please subscribe if you want to know more about YouTube”), your end screens, and a pinned comment, of course.

My take on this? Honestly, it’s a good move. A legacy feature that wasn’t doing its job anymore but still had to be maintained, eating up development resources that could be used elsewhere.

Next up, an update for vertical live streaming. YouTube is introducing gift goals. This allows you to set a goal for the number of fan funding gifts or YouTube Jewels you want to receive during a live stream. Now, let’s be very clear about what this isn’t. Unfortunately, this has nothing to do with gifted memberships. It’s purely for the little animated gifts that viewers can buy on vertical live streams.

YouTube also announced that a new gift design collection is coming this fall, mainly themed around pumpkins. Also, this entire feature, including the gifts themselves, is only available in the US. There’s no timeline for an international expansion yet. So, for the vast majority of us, this is just another feature we can look at but not actually use.

Alright, next up, a quick quality-of-life update for YouTube streamers. YouTube is doing some housekeeping in YouTube Studio, decluttering the channel moderation settings. They’re basically just cleaning up the interface, and instead of scrolling down to User Management, it gets its own tab. That should make it a bit more intuitive and easier to navigate. There are no new features being added or removed here; it’s purely a UI tweak. A small but welcome change.

While we’re talking about YouTube Live, creators are getting a bit more control. You’ll now have the option to turn off leaderboards for your channel. In our opinion, this opt-out was mostly built for corporate or news live streams, as we’ve seen feedback from larger and smaller news stations that allow live chats and weren’t happy with the leaderboards.

Alright, that’s it for this week. The death of the subscribe watermark is definitely the biggest headline here. So, tell me in the comments: Did you actually use the watermark button as a viewer? And do you think it ever got you a single subscriber?

Thanks for stopping by. Take care, and I’ll see you in the next YouTube update video.

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