YouTube officially announced that its in-app video sharing and messaging feature is now rolling out to the US, UK, Brazil, and Singapore, bringing the total number of supported countries to 40.
The feature is available to users aged 18 and older who are logged into a YouTube channel. The rollout is gradual, so it may not appear in your app immediately.
How to DM on YouTube?
Once the feature is enabled for you, a messaging icon appears in the top right corner of the app. You can also share any video or Short directly from the Share button while watching.
The catch is that starting a conversation is not as simple as searching for someone. You have to send an invite link first, and that link must go out through a third-party app like WhatsApp, iMessage, or SMS. The other person then accepts the invite and gets added to your YouTube contacts. This extra step is designed to prevent spam and unwanted messages.
Once connected, you can send text messages freely, react to content in real time, unsend messages by long-pressing them, delete entire conversations, and block or report contacts if needed. The only media you can share inside the chat is YouTube content, including videos, livestreams, and Shorts. No images, GIFs, or files allowed.
Why is YouTube bringing messaging back now?
YouTube had a direct messaging feature in 2017, but it was quietly killed off in 2019. Now, it’s back once again in a much bigger way.
The feature has already been available in over 30 European countries since March 2026. YouTube says the positive response from countries where the feature was already live drove the decision to expand. Recently, the platform also added three new podcast features, but they are only for Premium subscribers.