YouTube DMs Explained: What YouTube Direct Messages Are and How to Use Them

With YouTube's big talk about community and their many features that helps bring communities closer than ever, it almost feel like a no-brainer for YouTube to add a direct messaging system.

But this isn't YouTube's first time adding in Direct Messages to YouTube.

YouTube had a DM feature back in the mid to late 2010s that no one knew about because they rarely talked about it (if at all). A feature they then discontinued due to the lack of activity. The real question is not whether YouTube can do DMs. It is why they are bringing the feature back now, and whether it is worth your time.

What are YouTube DMs?

YouTube DMs are a private, one-to-one messaging feature built into the YouTube mobile app. With YouTube's big talk about community, and the many features it has shipped to bring communities closer than ever, a direct messaging system almost feels like a no-brainer. Inside a DM you can send text and share YouTube videos and Shorts directly, so the conversation about a video happens on the same app the video lives on.

The feature is currently mobile only and is rolling out in stages rather than to everyone at once. You start a chat by sending an invite, and the other person has to accept before the two of you can message. That invite system is the core of how YouTube DMs work, and it is the main thing that separates them from the open DMs you get on other platforms.

So why is YouTube bringing back this feature?

The simplest answer is that YouTube wants to compete with Meta's and TikTok's DMs.

People love to share their favorite posts, reels, or TikTok with their friends. Meta and TikTok makes it very easy for people to share within their own ecosystem, and every one of those shares is a reason to stay in the app a little longer.

If YouTube is able to emulate DMs like their competitors, then they too might be able to encourage more people to stay on their platform as they'll be able to chat with their friends and share Shorts directly on the YouTube app instead of copying a link into a different messenger.

In other words, this is YouTube going after a slice of the DM pie. They do not want you leaving their platform to talk about their content somewhere else. Direct messages are one more way to keep you here.

Who can use YouTube's DM feature?

The DM feature isn't out for everyone nor is it on desktop, but YouTube has plans to expand to more countries. Here are the requirements needed for YouTube DMs:

In order to get access to the YouTube DM, you need to:

• Live in the US or other eligible countries
• Be 18 or older
• Have a channel

A caveat here is that this is a staged rollout that is still changing, so the exact country list and requirements may be different by the time you read this. I would verify the current availability in the YouTube app or YouTube's own help pages before assuming you do or do not qualify.

How to use YouTube's DM feature.

If you match all the current requirements, then head into the YouTube mobile app and you should see a chat icon next to the notification bell on the top right corner.

First, open the YouTube mobile app. You should see a chat icon next to the notification bell in the top right corner. If it is not there, you most likely do not meet the requirements yet, or the feature has not reached your account.

Tap the chat icon and you will be taken to the DM page. From here you can create an invite and send it to a friend. You can also start a share straight from a video by tapping the Share button under any video or Short and choosing to message it. Note that both people need to meet the requirements to chat with one another, and your friend has to accept the invite before the conversation opens.

Note: Both users need to pass the requirements to chat with one another.

YouTube's DM are very simple right now with the only options to share YouTube videos/shorts and text chat. You can't send pictures (although that might be for the best).

Every single message sent will be pinged via push notifications, which is great because you'd never miss a message... but it can also be overwhelming if you have multiple people sending you messages.

You can choose to turn off these pings.

Are YouTube DMs private or encrypted?

According to YouTube, messages are encrypted in transit and storage, but they are not end-to-end encrypted, and they may be reviewed to make sure conversations follow YouTube's Community Guidelines and do not include harassment, scams, or harmful content. Automated systems also scan messages for content that could cause real-world harm.

So treat a YouTube DM as private from other users, but not as a fully private channel the way an end-to-end encrypted app would be. I am summarizing YouTube's own stated policy here, and the details can change, so check YouTube's help pages if message privacy is important to you.

Thoughts from Andrew Kan on YouTube DMs

"I think that YouTube experimenting with DM's is a sign they're looking at the competition and is a reminder that when other platforms inovate we as creators win! I think them bringing back DM's this time is hopefuly a showing that YouTube understands the value of them, and hopefully we get more feature supports, requests, and with other things they're working maybe new uses of DMs.

YouTube has their brand connect imagine being able to message brands and start brand deal conversations ON YouTube, that would be huge and a win for creatives. I use to DM Ike and my Partner back in the day using YouTube DM's so hopefully this gets enough adoption to keep getting used!"

Are YouTube DMs worth using? A genuine thought

As mentioned at the beginning, it's obvious that YouTube wants a slice of the DM pie. They don't want you to leave their platform for another. This is just another way to keep you here.

That being said, in order to keep you on their platform... YouTube's making you send invite links off-platform. It's understandable why YouTube decided with the invite system. They're the biggest social media platform with creators who have hundreds and millions of fans. If they allowed people to DM anyone, it can create a lot of spam. This also applies to if they let people send invite links on the YouTube app.

It's not a great solution, but it'll keep creators and viewers from being spammed for now.

If this feature continues to receive good updates (and if people actually know this feature exists), then there's potential for Shorts and videos to be easily circulated through DMs. Creators could use YouTube DM as a verification that they're the real one, and act as a communication point.

YouTube could even consider creating group chats that works similar to Instagram. It could do wonders for communities.

These are all "what ifs" because YouTube has hundreds of features they're experimenting on every single day. There will always be features that are bound to fade into obscurity. We'll just have to see how YouTube DM will perform.

If you found this useful, the KDCC newsletter breaks down YouTube changes like this one for working creators before they hit everyone.