YouTube Adds 'Don't Recommend Channel' and New Explore Tools for Finding Content

[MacRumors]

Google today announced several new features coming to YouTube, all of which are designed to give users more control over the kind of content that appears on the Homepage and in Up Next video suggestions.

For removing video suggestions from channels users are uninterested in, there's a new YouTube option called "Don't recommend channel." It's accessible by tapping on the three-dot menu next to a video on the homepage or Up Next. After tapping it, users will no longer see videos from the channel as suggested content.

The "Don't recommend channel" option will be available on mobile devices first before expanding to the desktop.

Along with an option to stop a channel from being recommended, YouTube is adding more detail on why certain videos have been recommended. There's a small box underneath recommended videos that lets YouTube users know why a video has been surfaced. The feature is available for iOS users today and will be coming to Android and desktop in the future.

YouTube is also gaining new tools to make it easier to explore topics and related videos, such as baking videos, or a favorite music genre. Options presented to YouTube users are based on existing personalized suggestions and can be found on the homepage when scrolling up or on Up Next when browsing. This feature is available for Android users currently and will be expanding to iOS and desktop in the future.

All of the new features are rolling out starting today, but could take some time to expand to all users.

Article Link: YouTube Adds 'Don't Recommend Channel' and New Explore Tools for Finding Content

 

[Unity451]

Oh good! What could possibly go wrong with this?

Good thing there aren't big groups of people that will mobilize and defame companies and content producers just because of political bias... good thing.. cause that'd be insane to live in a world like that... good thing...

 

[Juicy Box]

I wonder if this will be on the tvOS version, as it is my go-to device for YouTube.

 

[genovelle]

Oh good! What could possibly go wrong with this?

Good thing there aren't big groups of people that will mobilize and defame companies and content producers just because of political bias... good thing.. cause that'd be insane to live in a world like that... good thing...

Exactly! Who would do something like that?

 

[louis^]

Finally i can do this for Unbox Therapy

 

[JM]

“You have been recommended this channel because we think you should watch this video that we think is important.”

I wonder if we’ll be able to hit the “don’t recommend channel” on all news videos, or curate search results so we don’t see prioritized results.

We’ll see, though. Color me skeptical

 

[69Mustang]

Oh good! What could possibly go wrong with this?

Good thing there aren't big groups of people that will mobilize and defame companies and content producers just because of political bias... good thing.. cause that'd be insane to live in a world like that... good thing...

How would it matter if a million individual people said Don't Recommend Sesame Street on their feeds? If those people weren't going to watch a Sesame Street video anyway, not having it recommended means nothing.

I don't like Fortnite videos. Me requesting a Don't Recommend on my feed doesn't affect Fortnite videos. It just makes my feed less annoying. Still like to hear how you think a group could do something.

 

[JM]

Exactly! Who would do something like that?

Nobody. Nobody at all. It’s all a conspiracy nothing but love and respect here in the US right now.

 

[lunarworks]

Oh good! What could possibly go wrong with this?

Good thing there aren't big groups of people that will mobilize and defame companies and content producers just because of political bias... good thing.. cause that'd be insane to live in a world like that... good thing...

How awful of me not wanting garbage like PewDiePie and JonTron coming up in my recommendations.

 

[jasheeky]

Awesome, now I can block all those pedophile families and toy unboxing videos from appearing when my daughter just wants to watch Wheels on the Bus songs

 

[robbysibrahim]

Finally i can do this for Unbox Therapy

Yes! And any other channel that uses click-baity titles and a shocked, annoyed or perplexed facial expression as their thumbnail image.

Edit: just noticed that it ironically describes my MR avatar photo expression. lol

 

[Unity451]

How would it matter if a million individual people said Don't Recommend Sesame Street on my feed? If those people weren't going to watch a Sesame Street video anyway, not having it recommended means nothing.

I don't like Fortnite videos. Me requesting a Don't Recommend on my feed doesn't affect Fortnite videos. It just makes my feed less annoying. Still like to hear how you think a group could do something.

Ah ok... Perhaps I misunderstood and jumped to a conclusion. Maybe it could end up being a good thing. However, I do know that YT's received a lot of flack recently to try and limit conservative channels on their platform, many of which get paid by views and depend on the exposure to get those views. It just seems to me that if enough people rallied together, those content producers would take a big hit. I believe the current pundit talking point is that YT has a left-wing bias and unfairly targets conservative content. Just another day in the USA, I suppose.

 

[JGIGS]

Finally i can do this for Unbox Therapy

Yes! And any other channel that uses click-baity titles and a shocked, annoyed or perplexed facial expression as their thumbnail image.

Edit: just noticed that it ironically describes my MR avatar photo expression. lol

Didn't realize Lew had so many haters. I'm sure his 14.7M subs, millions of views per upload and bank account will help comfort him from the "not interesteds".

 

[Akrapovic]

Good. I enjoy watching videos of PC hardware, but I don’t enjoy having 8 suggested videos of LinusTechTips pretending to drop hardware for the lawls and hating on Apple products because he can’t recompile the kernel like a super leet haxor.

Being interested in some topics (computer hardware and gaming) usually means you’ll have some good channels and some horrendous channels. It’s nice to have the option to stop being recommended the bad ones.

 

[ManualFocusRing]

Didn't realize Lew had so many haters. I'm sure his 14.7M subs, millions of views per upload and bank account will help comfort him from the "not interesteds".

Why is it that someone that finds his style unappealing has to be a hater? Not everything is for everyone and people have a right to not want to have their recommendations include him or any other YouTuber. I have no hate for the man at all. I'm too busy living my life to hate on anyone for anything. More power to him. But he's not my cup of tea and I appreciate YouTube for giving me a way to keep him and many other YouTubers out of my feed.

 

[B4U]

Just more ways that Google wants to track us.

 

[69Mustang]

Ah ok... Perhaps I misunderstood and jumped to a conclusion. Maybe it could end up being a good thing. However, I do know that YT's received a lot of flack recently to try and limit conservative channels on their platform, many of which get paid by views and depend on the exposure to get those views. It just seems to me that if enough people rallied together, those content producers would take a big hit. I believe the current pundit talking point is that YT has a left-wing bias and unfairly targets conservative content. Just another day in the USA, I suppose.

Yeah, you're talking about a separate and completely unrelated issue. This (don't recommend) doesn't affect that issue. That's a perceived system issue. This is not that, and can't be tied to that. You may need a different thread for your issue.

 

[JetTester]

Yay! There are several “related” topics that keep popping up in my feed, and I’m finally going to be able to get rid of them. Google finally got one right!

 

[Exxhara]

Finally i can do this for Unbox Therapy

omg me too! I thought i was the only one

 

[44267547]

I’d also like YouTube to _stop_ recommending me for the ‘free one-month trial’ of YouTube premium, highly annoying every time I login to the app. I declined once, I shouldn’t have to decline every single time when I open the app.

 

[Sp1281]

How would it matter if a million individual people said Don't Recommend Sesame Street on my feed? If those people weren't going to watch a Sesame Street video anyway, not having it recommended means nothing.

I don't like Fortnite videos. Me requesting a Don't Recommend on my feed doesn't affect Fortnite videos. It just makes my feed less annoying. Still like to hear how you think a group could do something.

They are saying that people will abuse this to bury content from people they don’t like. Not that the content is bad. It is a way for activists to abuse the system. Google knows what it is doing. It affects everyone’s feed and the homepage. Google/Facebook are in Full blown censorship node.

 

[mejsric]

We need “Block Channel”

 

[69Mustang]

They are saying that people will abuse this to bury content from people they don’t like. Not that the content is bad. It is a way for activists to abuse the system. Google knows what it is doing. It affects everyone’s feed and the homepage. Google/Facebook are in Full blown censorship node.

I know exactly what he's trying to say. It's just that it doesn't make sense. It only affects your feed, not everyone's feed. Burying content from people you don't like is what it's designed to do. You and the original poster are conflating unrelated issues.

Each individual can only block content from their own feed, not the entirety of youtube. They're blocking videos they weren't going to watch anyway. Walk me through how an activist, or a group of activists can abuse it.

 

[dannyyankou]

Good, I’m tired clicking on “not interested” for individual videos. I’d rather remove the channel from the sidebar recommendations altogether.
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Oh good! What could possibly go wrong with this?

Good thing there aren't big groups of people that will mobilize and defame companies and content producers just because of political bias... good thing.. cause that'd be insane to live in a world like that... good thing...

If someone doesn’t want to be recommended a channel anymore on their feed, I see nothing wrong with that. It’s equivalent to blocking someone on twitter or Instagram.

 

[pweicks]

As long as YouTube don’t have hired people workin in dark, secret, underground tunnels smashing the “Don’t Recommend Channel” button on any conservative channels.