YouTube tests new voice reply feature
All creators will soon be able to respond to comments with voice-notes.
In recent years, YouTube has made strides to enhance creator's engagement with their audiences. The platform has rolled out various new features designed to help creators build community and strengthen the bond.
In recent times, the platform has done this in major ways by introducing new tools like Veo to help creators push new content in new ways.
Now, YouTube is experimenting with a way to make interactions feel more personal. In an announcement on Monday, YouTube said its latest update will allow creators to reply to comments with voice notes. This way, YouTubers might be able to connect to their followers a bit more.
Currently, in the testing phase, this feature allows selected creators to record and post voice replies to comments on their videos. Instead of typing out a response, creators can tap a soundwave icon on the YouTube app to record and post a voice comment. Viewers can then listen to the reply, adding a more personal touch than traditional text-based responses.
Louis Eriakha
The feature is still in its early stages, however, and for now, it appears to be limited to a small group of U.S.-based creators. Plus, reports claim the voice notes can only be played on the mobile app version rather than on the web or desktop versions.
Additionally, only the creators can post voice replies on their own channels. However, anyone can listen to these voice comments, and YouTube is providing a transcript button for those who prefer to read the reply rather than listen to it.
While this feature introduces a new way for creators to engage, it’s not entirely unique. Platforms like, X already had ways to communicate with followers with your voice through "voice tweets." Threads even take it further allowing users to post voice comments accompanied by transcripts. However, YouTube's offering is clearly different from that in terms of how it operates and what it's for, allowing the platform to stand out a bit more.
Either way, this creative approach could allow creators to interact with their audiences in a more authentic way. With this slow expansion, it might take a while for this addition to catch on, but with YouTube being home to over 63.8 million creators per Exploding Topics and over 2.49 billion monthly active users, a further rollout of this voice note feature might see it catch up quickly.
