YouTube is testing a weird audio feature no one asked for

Summary

YouTube is testing voice replies from creators on their own videos.
The voice reply feature is only available for select creators on YouTube’s iOS app.
YouTube is just experimenting with the feature, so it may not get a broader roll out.

A new feature on YouTube could make its comment section more chaotic than it already is.

YouTube is testing a new feature which lets a “small number” of creators record an audio reply to a comment on their YouTube videos. So that means your favorite YouTuber in the future could reply to a comment you left on one of their videos with their voice rather than just a text reply.

“We hope that the voice reply experiment enables more meaningful relationships between creators and their audience,” YouTube said in a help forum post.

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The feature is only available to certain creators on iOS

Creators can only reply on their own videos, not others

This feature is being rolled out to a select group of creators to test. Currently, creators can only use YouTube’s iOS app to record voice replies on their videos. Viewers and creators can listen to and engage with the voice reply on other platforms though.

Creators can only make voice replies on their own videos, not others. To do this, they must tap the sound wave icon when responding to a comment, letting them record a voice reply. You can view a sample of a creator’s voice reply in this video from ThioJoe.

This feature is cool but also a little weird at the same time. Do I need to hear a creator on YouTube reply with their voice to a comment? Not really, but it is an interesting way for a creator to engage with their audience. Another question is whether this voice reply feature will pick up steam with creators after this initial testing phase. YouTube is just experimenting with it, so there’s a chance it will never be fully implemented.