YouTube is testing out a new “comment threading” feature with YouTube Premium subscribers, while it’s also adding some new features to its AI-powered “Dream Track” music option.
First off, on comment threading. As it sounds, comment threading makes it easier to track a conversation, by linking replies to a comment within a single stream.
As you can see in this example, with comment threading active, viewers will be able to tap through in a comment to see the full conversation related to that reply in a single comment tree.
As explained by YouTube:
“Comment threading provides a more focused reading experience and helps users easily understand conversations. Click on the ‘X replies’ button under a comment and view threaded replies in the ‘Replies’ panel. Only available on iOS and Android.”
So it’s a simplified discussion tracking display, which could help to spark more specific discussion in the comment panels.
It seems like a handy formatting update, though we’ll wait and see what YouTube’s testing uncovers in terms of utility.
YouTube’s also testing some new updates to its Dream Track experiment, which enables you to create short audio clips, via AI, based on text prompts.
YouTube first announced that it was working with a range of musicians on Dream Track back in 2023, before making the option available to all U.S.-based creators last October.
And now, it’s looking to enhance your AI-generated music outputs, with additional tools that will enable you to further customize your generated tracks.
“If you’re a creator in the experiment group, you may see new options and quality enhancements to the customized soundtracks you can create for your Shorts. These experimental features are rolling out to a select group of creators in the U.S.”
So not a lot to go on, in terms of specifics, but Dream Track audio clips are essentially designed to provide a soundtrack option for Shorts, based on trending music styles and genres.
Some small, but potentially handy updates, which could help in your YouTube creation process.
