A new feature called YouTube Shorts has started rolling out on Google’s video platform. The ‘new’ way of ‘presenting’ yourselves via short videos has also reached the world biggest video platform. The feature is focused on videos shot in portrait orientation which looks quite similar to TikTok’s video presentations, which have seen a large boom in the past months. It seems like YouTube/Google wants a piece of that pie as well.
YouTube Shorts have begun in the US and it is expected to be available in other countries soon as well. As the feature is still in the Beta version, not all users will be able to get it after the YouTube app’s update.
The YouTube team have reportedly worked on this project for the past 12 months so the stable version for everyone shouldn’t be far off.
How to Create YouTube Shorts on your Phone?
Is the Shorts going to be popular enough to be able to survive?
Every new streaming platform has its pros and cons, although there is one common thing to all of them. Money. Every ‘experienced’ video influencer knows that with the new platform, new money-making opportunities open. In its conditions, YouTube says that the Shorts videos you won’t be able to monetize your Shorts via its Partner Program or Ads, although it may change in the future.
At this moment, it is impossible to know whether YouTube Short will be as successful as TikTok videos or Instagram Stories, although 3.5 billion views in early beta would suggest there might be some interest in another service like that too. For comparison, TikTok is approaching 1 billion active users every month.
The initial YouTube Short boom may however fade away quickly if the brand won’t be able to keep up with the audience and their trends and the new service might end up in Google’s graveyard, as we have seen plenty of times before (Google Hangouts, Google Plus and more..)
YouTube Shorts features
As the app is still in development, there aren’t many breathtaking features available yet except for adding music to your videos or searchable hashtags to its title or description. You can also set a timer for hands-free shooting and set the speed of your recording. YouTube also says that the maximum length of the videos is still not definite (currently at 15 sec.) as they are still researching the best model which would suit the best to their users.
YouTube’s Shorts were getting over 3.5 billion views while in early beta, so it is no wonder the short videos are now getting to more and more users. Just for comparison, TikTok is reaching 1 billion monthly active users and is likely to become the first platform to reach the milestone in such a short time.
Download YouTube Shorts Beta
There is a mirror to the app, which should allow you to use/try the feature if you sideload the beta app.
You can download the YouTube Short beta app from APKMirror here.
