YouTube Expands Direct Messaging Feature to US Users
YouTube has rolled out its experimental in-app direct messaging feature to users in the United States, the UK, Brazil, Singapore, and other global regions, requiring participants to be at least 18 years old. The feature was first tested in Ireland and Poland in late 2025 before expanding across Europe in March. The move marks YouTube's second attempt at private messaging, having launched and then discontinued a similar feature between 2017 and 2019.
YouTube is expanding its in-app direct messaging and video-sharing feature beyond Europe to the US, UK, Brazil, Singapore, and additional global markets. The feature, which began testing in Ireland and Poland in November 2025, allows users 18 and older to send private messages and share videos — including long-form content, Shorts, and live streams — within the YouTube mobile app on both Android and iOS. To start a conversation, users must send an invitation link to another person, typically via a third-party messaging platform, and the recipient can choose to accept or decline. The invite-only structure appears designed to limit interactions to people who already know each other, rather than enabling contact between strangers. Additional features include the ability to unsend messages, delete conversations on one's own end, and block users, with YouTube's community guidelines applying to all exchanged content. YouTube previously offered direct messaging from 2017 to 2019, when it was shut down in favor of public comment-based engagement. The company cited the feature as a top user request and says it plans to expand availability further.
What's missing
No information is provided about what specific criteria YouTube uses to determine age verification. The timeline for broader global expansion is also unspecified.
How coverage differed
The Verge framed the relaunch with mild skepticism, noting YouTube's prior discontinuation of both messaging and its Stories feature, and emphasizing the structural limitations of the invite-only system. Engadget and GSMArena presented the rollout more straightforwardly as a positive expansion driven by user demand.
What different sources said
- 9to5GoogleCenter
YouTube rolling out new in-app messaging with invite-only chats
- EngadgetCenter
YouTube expands direct messaging to the US
- The VergeLeft
YouTube is introducing DMs (again)
- GSMArena.comCenter
YouTube's direct messaging feature expands to more countries, including the US - GSMArena.com news
Related
Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 FE See Significant Price Cuts
Samsung's Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 FE smartphones are currently available at notably reduced prices, with the S25 FE dropping $201 (33%) to $449 on Woot for a limited time. The price reductions come amid a competitive smartphone market and ahead of anticipated future Samsung releases. The discounts make previously premium-priced devices more accessible to budget-conscious consumers.
Anthropic Disables Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI Models Globally After US Government Export Control Order
Anthropic has suspended all public access to its two most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after the US Commerce Department issued an export control directive ordering the company to block foreign nationals from accessing them on national security grounds. The order came just three days after Fable 5's public launch and reportedly stems from government concerns about a potential jailbreak that could enable the models to assist with cyberattacks, though Anthropic says it received only verbal evidence of a narrow, non-universal vulnerability. The shutdown affects all customers globally — including enterprise users and Anthropic employees — and marks a significant escalation of US efforts to restrict foreign access to advanced AI models themselves, rather than just the chips that power them.
Xbox Free Play Days Offers Three Games Free to Play June 11–14
Microsoft's Xbox Free Play Days program is offering Hell Let Loose, State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition, and Blasphemous 2 at no cost from June 11 to June 14. Hell Let Loose requires an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, or Essential membership, while State of Decay 2 and Blasphemous 2 (via a five-hour timed trial) are accessible to all Xbox console owners. Players who wish to keep any of the games can purchase them at a limited-time discount and retain any achievements earned during the free period.