What’s happened? YouTube is testing a feature called “Your Custom Feed” that gives users more control over what appears on their Home page. Instead of relying on the usual algorithm, some users will now see a new option labeled ‘Your Custom Feed’ next to the standard ‘Home’ tab.
- You can enter prompts to tell YouTube what kind of videos you’d like to see more (or less).
- Typing in prompts like “more travel vlogs” or “less gaming content” can reshape your feed based on what you say you want.
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This is important because: Algorithms often misread a user’s interest. For example, watching a couple of videos on Marvel can make the algorithm believe you are a die-hard fan, and it fills your feed with more such videos.
- The ability to customize your feed will finally give you a way to steer the recommendations instead of being served videos passively.
- The feature is still in testing and available to a limited set of users, so you might not see the “Your Custom Feed” option yet.
- YouTube isn’t alone in bringing customized feed options to users. Platforms like Threads and X have recently tested topic‐specific feed options so users can control what they see.
Why should I care? If you’ve ever felt like YouTube’s algorithm went off the rails from one random watch into an endless stream of cat videos, this gives you a chance to bring it back on track.
- As someone who uses YouTube regularly, gaining such control over the feed can make your time scrolling feel less random and more intentional.
- For creators, this could shift how videos get discovered, and their niche might stand out more if users ask for them.
OK, what’s next? YouTube has been working on several small but useful updates lately, from making it easier to share videos with friends to testing a new playlist search tool so you don’t have to scroll endlessly. Since these are experimental features, we won’t know how well they work until the official rollout. So stay tuned for more updates.
