YouTube Stories, similar to Snapchat, will be discontinued in June due to the rising popularity of its TikTok-like feature, Shorts.
The Stories feature, owned by Google and integrated into YouTube, is being discontinued. This decision prevents users from sharing time-limited posts that automatically disappear after seven days.
YouTube Stories Introduced in 2017 with Limited Availability
According to an article published by The Verge, Stories were introduced on YouTube in 2017, originally called Reels, and were initially limited to users with over 10,000 subscribers. Similar to Snapchat’s Stories, YouTube’s Stories allowed users to post content that would disappear after a certain period of time.
While platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook had Stories that lasted for 24 hours, YouTube aimed to differentiate itself by extending the duration of Stories to at least seven days. Users on YouTube could also leave comments on Stories, adding an interactive element. However, unlike the continued popularity of Stories on Instagram, YouTube’s Stories feature did not gain the same level of traction. The Verge notes that only a few creators on the platform regularly use Stories, and YouTube has reduced its promotion of the feature. Additionally, Stories were exclusively available on the YouTube mobile app, limiting their accessibility.
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YouTube Announces Discontinuation of Stories Feature
With YouTube constantly evolving and expanding its offerings, the Stories format has struggled to keep pace with the rapid changes. As a result, YouTube has officially announced in a support article that it will discontinue the Stories feature on June 26.
Meaghan Sullivan, a representative from Product Communications, stated that starting from June 26, users will no longer have the option to create new YouTube Stories.
However, despite the removal of Stories, Sullivan suggests that alternative features such as Shorts and Community posts offer valuable ways for users to connect and engage with their audiences. While Stories allowed users to share videos that would disappear over time, Shorts serves as a TikTok-like feature that enables users to share short, addictive video clips.
According to Ars Technica, Shorts has gained popularity among viewers and creators on YouTube. As of June 2022, the platform reported an impressive 1.5 billion monthly views for Shorts.
It is important to note that YouTube introduced the Shorts feature in July 2021, capitalizing on the increasing popularity of TikTok, a Chinese video-sharing platform. Within just one year, Shorts amassed over a billion monthly views on YouTube.
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