YouTube is testing a new feature to redirect users to Google with search suggestions displayed directly in the app. That’s according to recent reports following the appearance of the feature on Reddit.
In one example, a user searches out how to open a beer with a knife, for instance. Typically, that would result in the app displaying video results from directly within YouTube. As might be expected from the new feature, a separate card is shown among the search results instead. That reads “Result from the web” and centers around the top result for a Google query using the same search terms.
The search results appear down the page, under top video recommendations.
Presumably, those types of results are appearing for more searches as well, as opposed to just for “how-to” style searches. But that’s not made immediately clear by Redditors sharing the updated UI. Everything else about the YouTube interface remains unchanged with the update.
YouTube’s Google search suggestions may not appear soon, if at all
Now, the appearance of this new Google search suggestions feature on YouTube doesn’t seem to be widespread. Instead, it is only arriving for a small group of users. That already points to a test run of the feature as opposed to a full rollout. Beyond that, the rollout is happening on the server-side of the equation — as with many Google updates. So it really should be more widespread if this were rolling out to everybody.
The implication here is that Google is testing the response to putting recommendations outside of YouTube in the app. And that’s a decision that would make a lot of sense.
Updates are generally taken well, such as Google’s recently rolled-out Bedtime reminders for YouTube. That particular update builds on the popular Digital Wellbeing features Android has adopted over recent updates. But some of Google’s small changes, particularly those that serve to promote its brand, have been less popular.
One example of that is Google’s decision to add its brand to its Gboard keyboard. While “Google” was only added to the spacebar with that change, it was hugely unpopular. That forced the company to backpedal and remove the change, with all of the negative PR that entails. So it stands to reason that Google would be wary about adding its brand to YouTube without at least some testing.
If that’s the case, it may not ever roll out widely at all. But it will take some time before it’s ready for the general user base, regardless.
How useful would Google searches on YouTube really be?
YouTube is already a huge platform in terms of available content. As of February, 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute — according to YouTube’s own figures. And users watch over 5 billion videos on Youtube every single day. So, chances are, content found there already will best serve users looking for a video on any given topic or walkthrough.
Simultaneously, the service dwarfs other video apps with over 1.3 billion users. And video content isn’t always the best way to learn about any given topic either. So it makes sense for Google to try and tap into that user base.
Whether YouTube’s Google search suggestions are useful or not, summarily, is something that’s going to vary from user to user. But it’s a feature that will help set it apart from other video streaming apps.