You Can Now Message Friends Directly on YouTube

June 11, 2026 Nav

YouTube is officially expanding its in-app direct messaging feature to the United States and other global locations, bringing the total to 40 supported countries. This feature allows people to chat and share videos without leaving the platform.

Who Can Use It?

Age Requirement: You must be 18 years or older.
Account Requirement: You need to be signed into a YouTube channel.
Device: The feature is currently rolling out on the YouTube mobile app.

How to message on youtube

To prevent spam, you cannot randomly message people. Instead, the feature uses an invitation system:

Find the Icon: Look for the new messaging icon in the top right corner of your app (or under your notification bell).
Send an Invite: Create an invite link and send it to a friend through an external app like WhatsApp, Telegram, or text message.
Connect: Once your friend clicks the link and accepts the invite, you can start sharing videos, Shorts, and text messages directly inside YouTube.

Key Details to Keep in Mind

What you can send: Text messages, public videos, Shorts, and live streams. You cannot send personal photos, files, or GIFs right now.
Control and Safety: You can unsend individual messages, block users, or delete entire chat conversations at any time.
Rules: All chats must follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines. To keep the platform safe, chats are not end-to-end encrypted and may be scanned by YouTube systems for harmful content.

If you don’t see the feature on your phone yet, make sure your app is updated to the latest version, as YouTube is rolling this out gradually to all eligible users.