Social media updates and new features to know this week.
Including YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and more.
Hello social friends and welcome to another week of updates! This week brings some added tools on IG to help make the video creating process more seamless as well as more controls on TikTok to help limit AI-generated content. Let’s dive in and see how these tools can help improve your social game.
YouTube
YouTube is testing a new messaging feature that lets people share videos and chat directly inside the YouTube mobile app.
Instead of sending links through other apps, users in the test can talk about long-form videos, Shorts and live streams all in one place. For now, the experiment is only available to adults in Ireland and Poland.
The goal is to see whether users want on-platform sharing and conversation before expanding the feature further, according to YouTube.
Messages sent inside YouTube will be checked to make sure they follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines.
YouTube is also expanding a test feature that checks for Community Guidelines issues before users publish a video. It works like the existing copyright and ad-friendliness checks, meaning during the upload process, YouTube’s automated systems scan users’ videos for possible policy violations. If something gets flagged, they’ll have a chance to fix it before the video goes live.
This tool isn’t available to everyone yet and it doesn’t catch every possible violation, but the goal is to give creators more clarity and control. By spotting problems early, YouTube hopes to help creators avoid removals, restrictions or strikes after publishing.
Users can now record directly in the Reels camera for up to 20 minutes, giving users more room for creative storytelling,
They’ve also made editing simpler with a new Undo button to remove a clip, a slider to control how strong the “Touch-Up” effect is and improvements to the green screen, timer and countdown tools.
X
X is rolling out a new “About this profile” section that shows extra account info, like where the account is based, when it joined and how many times the username has changed.
One of the biggest changes is that X will indicate when an account might be using a VPN, by displaying a warning that says “country or region may not be accurate.”
X’s new feature, which shows where accounts are based, revealed that a lot of big “MAGA”-style accounts, claiming to be American, are actually run from other countries, raising concerns about foreign influence and fake political accounts.
WhatsApp is bringing back its About feature in a redesigned way, similar to Instagram Notes.
Users can now post a short text or emoji update that shows at the top of chats and on their profile.
These updates disappear by default after 24 hours, but users can change how long they stay visible. Users also decide who can see them, so they might be visible just to contacts.
TikTok
TikTok is rolling out tools to help users see, control and understand how much AI-generated content shows up in a feed. They’re testing a new slider in the “Manage Topics” settings that lets users choose the frequency of AI-made videos they se. This does, not remove them completely, but gives users more choice.
On top of that, TikTok is improving how it labels AI content by testing “invisible watermarking.” This is combined with their use of Content Credentials, which embeds info into videos so they can better track what was made by AI.
Additionally, TikTok introduced a new “Time & Well-being” space meant to help people relax and build healthier digital habits. Users can find calming tools like an affirmation journal with 120+ cards, a sound generator with peaceful noises like rain and waves, and guided breathing exercises.
Snapchat
Snapchat just launched a new app for Amazon Fire Tablets, which users can now download from the Amazon Appstore.
The Fire Tablet version supports Chat, Stories, Lenses and Spotlight, and gives users full access to Snapchat+ perks.
Snapchat is also launching Topic Chats, a way for users to join public group conversations around trending topics, events, creators or places.
These chats show up in search, Stories, Spotlight videos and chat shortcuts, where you might see a yellow “Join the Chat” button.
Even though the chats are public, your Snapchat profile stays private to people who aren’t your friends, per Snap. Snapchat is also moderating the chats so they stay safe.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].
