YouTube’s answer to Tik Tok has begun rolling out in the US. This week, the video platform launched a beta version of YouTube Shorts with the feature scheduled to be available all across the US within the upcoming weeks. YouTube describes the feature as a short-form video experience for anyone who wants to create short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones.
YouTube Shorts initially launched beta in India back in September with a multi-segment camera, speed and music controls and more. After the successful initial testing, YouTube has added even more features like the option to add text, with more features like pulling music from anywhere coming down the pipeline soon.
“We’ve introduced a row on the YouTube homepage especially for Shorts, have launched a new watch experience that lets you easily swipe vertically from one video to the next, and are testing adding a Shorts tab on mobile that makes it easier for you to watch Shorts with a single tap,” YouTube says in a blog post.
“As more people create and watch Shorts, we expect that our systems will get even better, improving our ability to help you discover new content, trends, and creators you’ll love.”
The short-form video trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Tik Tok currently has 689 million TikTok users globally and 6 billion lifetime downloads of TikTok on iOS App Store and Google Play as of December 2020. Instagram has also tried to cash in on the trend by launching Reels last August.