- YouTube Stories will be discontinued from June 26, 2023, due to lower adoption rates and mixed feedback from users and creators regarding lacking essential features.
- YouTube will prioritize community posts and YouTube Shorts, which have expanded access to community posts and incorporate popular elements from Stories.
- After June 26, new Stories cannot be created, but existing ones will remain live for seven days, and YouTube assures its commitment to developing innovative tools to facilitate creator growth.
YouTube Stories, the platform’s short-form video feature, is set to be shut down on June 26 as Google shifts its focus to Shorts. The move comes as part of Google’s broader strategy to expand its short-form video offerings and take on competitors such as TikTok.
YouTube Stories allows users to post short, vertical videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Introduced in 2018, the feature has struggled to gain traction, with many users favoring rival platforms instead.
In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson said, “We’ve seen tremendous evolution in short-form video entertainment, and we’re excited about the potential of Shorts. As we focus on building Shorts, we’ll be ending support for YouTube’s native Stories format on June 26.”
Shorts, which launched in India last year, is Google’s answer to TikTok, allowing users to create and share short, vertical videos with a range of editing tools and music. The feature has since been rolled out globally.
Despite being relatively new, Shorts has already attracted millions of users, and Google has been pushing to make the platform more prominent on the YouTube app.
The shut down of YouTube Stories is unlikely to have a significant impact on users or creators, with the feature failing to gain the same popularity as rival platforms. However, it signals Google’s commitment to expanding its short-form video offerings and taking on TikTok in a crowded market.