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Google Chatbots Youtube

YouTube tests Facebook-style messaging feature and tinkers with classic 'loading' spinner

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

January 19, 2017 | 3 min read

YouTube is looking to take on the likes of Facebook Messenger with a new in-app messaging function which lets users send videos to each other without leaving the platform's walls.

YouTube messaging app

YouTube tests Facebook-style messaging feature and tinkers with classic 'loading' spinner / YouTube

The service has been in testing since last year, but officially launched in Canada yesterday (18 January) and aims to make sharing videos more social but will also serve as a place for users to send ordinary text messages.

Google product manager Ben Yair said the company hopes the the move will keep the sharing experience within YouTube instead of switching between other apps, and create a less cumbersome experience.

"We wanted to start with Canada because Canadians are sharing 15% more videos than the average user, so it’s interesting to see this is actually a behaviour that happens more in Canada," he told Canada’s Financial Post, adding: "We thought this was a nice way to expand and really answer a need that exists in the market."

The play comes as audiences continue to turn to messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to share content, with eMarketer forecasting that by 2019 a quarter of the world’s population will be using such services. It could also open up YouTube to chatbot-based opportunities, which have become somewhat of a phenomenon for chat apps and brands over the past six months or so.

Separately, YouTube appears to have replaced its video loading 'spinner' icon for users in an attempt to make the experience on slow internet connections a little more bearable.

According to reports, instead of a buffering sign some viewers have reported seeing a cute castle animation (below) when a video is loading.

"It doesn't make the wait any shorter, but it sure feels like it is," said Android Police,

The Drum has reached out to Google for comment.

Google Chatbots Youtube

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