YouTube announces Custom Feeds, GIF comments, and ’Your podcast lineup’

At Made on YouTube 2026, YouTube unveiled several exciting new features. Among them are Custom Feeds, GIF comments, and a personalized AI-audio guide called Your podcast lineup. Custom Feeds allow viewers to create personalized tabs on the Homepage based on specific moods, routines, or interests. Users can have multiple feeds, such as "evening wind down with long documentaries" or "new DIY creators." This feature is set to launch for US users on web, mobile, and TV devices "soon."

Ask YouTube is also getting new shopping capabilities. Users will be able to receive organized video recommendations, like comparison tables containing product attributes and categories based on their preferences. By clicking on an interesting video, they can then engage in further product-related queries directly on the video's watch page.

GIF comments are coming to YouTube comments this fall. The mobile comment box will feature a library of GIFs, which will be searchable and available for use on videos and Shorts. Additionally, the in-app direct messaging feature will now support group chats, starting in the US, UK, Singapore, Brazil, and some European countries.

YouTube Music will introduce a personalized AI-audio guide called Your podcast lineup. This feature offers a weekly spoken preview of recommended shows, explaining why users might enjoy them. Subsequently, it will suggest episodes, with users able to explore episodes further without interruption. This update is "coming soon to YouTube Music and Premium subscribers worldwide."

The Ask Music chat in the Home tab will also receive enhancements, enabling users to customize their queue or delve deeper into artist lore. Both updates will be "coming soon to YouTube Music and Premium subscribers worldwide."

Coachella will be streamed by YouTube through 2030. The 2027 edition will mark "15 years of bringing the desert festival experience to fans worldwide." YouTube is also introducing a Shorts series feature, allowing creators to organize their Shorts into seasons and episodes for a more structured and episodic experience. This update is rolling out starting today.

Furthermore, the Shorts feed will begin recommending posts. Google reports that over 300 million users engage with Posts on YouTube daily, and these text posts will also reach TVs in the "coming months."

Lastly, YouTube is piloting a Live auto-dubbing feature in early 2027. This feature will automatically translate a user's speech in real-time, allowing viewers to listen to the content in their preferred language as it is spoken. Additionally, YouTube is testing "opt-in AI-powered comment moderation," which will learn users' unique moderation styles and needs over time. For more news, visit 9to5Google on YouTube.