YouTube Direct Messaging Feature Now Available in the US

YouTube's experimental direct messaging feature for mobile is now available in the US. The Google-owned video-sharing platform started testing DMs late last year in Ireland and Poland, before expanding it to more European countries in March. Now, you can also give it a try if you're 18 and older in the US. This isn't the first time YouTube has introduced a direct messaging feature. It launched one in 2017 and then killed it two years later in 2019 to encourage more public conversations in the comments section. In its announcement when it launched its renewed effort to bring DMs to its platform, YouTube said that it has been a top feature request. This rollout builds on the positive feedback it's gotten from the the countries where it has been live for the past few months. To use the feature, just tap the Messages button that you'll see on the top right corner of the YouTube app and then tap "Invite to chat." You can send the invite to anybody on the platform you want to talk to, and they will have the power to choose whether to Accept or Decline it. You probably already use a plethora of messaging apps — I know I do — but the idea is to make it easier to share YouTube videos and Reels to your friends. That said, YouTube makes it clear that you'll still be able to easily send videos through your other apps even if you're now part of the experiment. YouTube says it will expand DM testing even further, so it may be available to you in the future if your country doesn't have access to it yet.