Shillong, August 9: YouTube, owned by Google, has unveiled a change in its approach, stating that it will no longer suggest videos to users who have deactivated their watch history.
In an update shared on a support page, the company explained that for users who have their YouTube watch history turned off and lack a significant prior watch history, certain features that rely on watch history for video recommendations will be deactivated. This includes modifications to the YouTube home feed.
As a result, users will observe a distinct appearance in their home feed, featuring solely the search bar and the left-hand guide menu. The feed of recommended videos will be absent, facilitating easier navigation for searching, perusing subscribed channels, and exploring Topic tabs.
As per IANS, this shift aims to offer users enhanced clarity regarding the role of watch history in generating video recommendations, while simultaneously simplifying the experience for those who favor searching over browsing recommendations.
The platform emphasized that users retain the ability to modify their YouTube watch history settings at their convenience, enabling them to decide whether they wish to receive video recommendations or not.
In recent developments, YouTube had revealed its testing of artificial intelligence (AI) auto-generated summaries. This feature is designed to provide users with concise summaries of videos, aiding them in quickly assessing if the content aligns with their interests. These summaries, however, do not replace the detailed video descriptions crafted by creators.
Furthermore, the Google-owned platform initiated testing of improvements to the layout of channel pages, aiming to refine the user experience.