Viewers can currently like or hate a YouTube video in response. An alternative is for them to comment on a video. YouTube is currently testing a new feature that will allow users to comment on videos. Timed emojis, a new tool being tested by the firm, would let viewers respond to a video at a precise point by using an emoji.
YouTube now provides users with a selection of eight reaction emojis. The list also features a heart, a shocked expression, confetti or celebration, 100%, a question mark, a light bulb or idea, and a howling cat. In accordance with the results of the experiment, the company claimed it will either add or remove reaction emojis.
On a support page, a YouTube community manager stated, “If you’re watching a video that is part of this experiment, you can react and witness crowd reactions by entering the comment section of the video and tapping into the reaction panel.”
YouTube added that viewers would be able to see which moments other viewers are responding to as part of the test. Additionally, the business will anonymize every response, so YouTube won‘t be able to tell who sent whatever reaction.
Regarding availability, YouTube stated that it is initially testing the timed reactions experiment with a limited number of channels. However, there is no information about a release date for this functionality on the platform.
Notably, YouTube is testing this function right after testing timed comments, another function. Similar to the timed emojis feature that YouTube is currently testing, this function lets users submit comments at specified points in a video. It was first tested by the firm in April of last year.
According to a statement made at the time, “This experiment is available on some films to a small set of viewers, and we’ll consider rolling this out more generally based on feedback.” The video-sharing platform hasn’t yet made this capability available to a larger audience.
