YouTube Stories will be discontinued soon, following the footsteps of Twitter’s “Fleets” which were removed in 2021. Google has decided to end its story feature, making YouTube Stories no longer operational in a matter of weeks.
YouTube users were able to share Stories on their accounts, similar to Instagram and Snapchat, but with a longer duration of 7 days instead of the usual 24 hours. However, it seems that YouTube’s attention has now shifted towards YouTube Shorts, which is their version of TikTok-style content, comparable to Instagram Reels.
On June 26, YouTube Stories will cease to exist. In a blog post by Meaghan Sullivan, YouTube Product Communications, it was announced that starting from that date, users will no longer have the option to create new YouTube Stories. Additionally, any Stories that are currently live on that date will expire after 7 days from their original sharing date.
“While Stories are going away, we’ve seen that both Community posts and YouTube Shorts are great alternatives that can deliver valuable audience connections and conversations.”
YouTube Stories was introduced in 2018, following the trend popularized by Snapchat years earlier. However, as part of Google’s broader strategy, YouTube Stories will now be discontinued to make way for YouTube Shorts. The decision reflects Google’s shift in focus towards promoting YouTube Shorts. The company reported that within a year of its launch, YouTube Shorts already garnered 1.5 billion monthly viewers in June 2022.
As stated in the blog post, “YouTube Shorts is the way to go if you want to create short video content or reach a new audience! Amongst creators who use both Shorts and Stories, Shorts on average drive many times more subscribers than Stories.”
YouTube has announced its intention to introduce additional features to enhance YouTube Shorts and Communities in the coming months. The decision signifies their commitment to evolving and improving these platforms.
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