YouTube is Launching Shorts, A Short-Form Video Feature For Smartphones That Looks A Lot Like TikTok
YouTube is launching Shorts, a short-form video feature for smartphones that looks a lot like TikTok
Google's YouTube announced Monday that it is rolling out YouTube Shorts "is a new short-form video experience for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones," according to a company blog post.
Shorts videos will be 15 seconds or less and will allow users to use a new, multi-segment camera to stitch multiple clips together as well as the option to record video with music from a selection of songs, similar to how users can create TikTok videos. Shorts has reportedly been in the works for a while, according to an April report from The Information, but Google did not confirm the new feature at the time.
YouTube did not immediate respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Shorts will get a beta release in India this week for testing. India banned TikTok as well as dozens of other apps owned by China-based firms in June, citing national security concerns.
Shorts' launch comes just as tech giant Oracle confirmed it has submitted a proposal to be the "trusted technology provider" in the US for TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. The deal comes after pressure from the Trump administration for TikTok to sever ties to China over national security concerns.
Google's parent company Alphabet was one of a number of companies reportedly interested in taking stake in TikTok. TikTok currently runs on Google's cloud-computing software.
YouTube isn't the only tech firm that has launched a TikTok rival — Facebook rolled out its own Instagram Reels in early August. The feature allows users to create short-form video content on the social media site.
Snapchat last month also launched a new feature that allows users to overlay recorded videos with popular songs, similar to how TikTok operates.
YouTube unveils Shorts, its answer to TikTok videos
YouTube is joining the ranks of internet giants competing with TikTok. The company has unveiled a beta for YouTube Shorts, a “short-form video experience” that’s clearly meant to challenge TikTok’s app by mimicking some of its key features.
Credit: YouTube
The YouTube Shorts beta limits videos to 15 seconds versus 60 for TikTok, but will otherwise seem eerily familiar. You can add music from a “large library,” adjust the speed, string together multiple clips and set a countdown or timer to perfect your footage.
It’ll be recognizable if you’re a viewer, too. As of today, there’s a TikTok-like “watch experience” for short videos that lets you swipe vertically to browse them, and will “make it even easier” to watch Shorts.
The Shorts beta is available in the YouTube app only for India at the moment, but will reach other countries in the “coming months.” You can also expect feature additions over that time.
See also: The best social media apps
It’s not surprising that YouTube would jump into the fray. TikTok recently revealed that it has about 50 million daily active users in the US alone, and 100 million who use it at least once a month. There were nearly 700 million active users per month worldwide as of July. Shorts could help YouTube fend off TikTok and keep you glued to its apps.
The timing is also apt. With TikTok getting a lifeline from Oracle to possibly avert a US ban, YouTube will be joining the short-form video crowd right as its main rival’s future is uncertain. It’s not necessarily counting on a flood of converts, but it might hope to pick up users worried that TikTok won’t last forever.
YouTube is adding a new Shorts format to rival TikTok, Instagram Reels
YouTube Shorts is happening.
YouTubeYouTube is getting in on the short-form video craze. In a blog post, the Google-owned video platform detailed its new format, which it calls Shorts.
Designed as a "new short-form video experience right on YouTube for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos" with their phones, the Shorts will be capped at a maximum of 15 seconds per clip. TikTok allows for 60-second videos, while Instagram's Reels are also maxed at 15 seconds. As with TikTok or Reels, music can be added to the clips with YouTube providing tools to edit multiple video clips together, and speed controls, timer and countdown options for recording hands-free.
Like with TikTok, swiping vertically from one Shorts video will let you move to a new one.
The new format will be available on Android phones in India "over the next few days," with YouTube's Chris Jaffe noting in the blog post that the company will "continue to expand to iOS devices and in more countries soon."
YouTube's news comes as Oracle confirmed it would become the technology partner for TikTok in the US after pressure from the Trump administration for the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, to find a US home.
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