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YouTube Reportedly Working on Tamba Social App With Followers, DMs, Group Chats, More

YouTube Reportedly Working on Tamba Social App With Followers, DMs, Group Chats, More

References to Tamba were reportedly discovered in version 21.44.534 of the YouTube app for Android.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Rohan Pal | Updated: 4 November 2026 15:20 IST

YouTube Reportedly Working on Tamba Social App With Followers, DMs, Group Chats, More

Photo Credit: YouTube

Tamba may also support private profiles, along with direct messaging capabilities

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Highlights

YouTube's Android app reportedly includes references to a new social app
This platform could offer followers, direct messages and group chats
Tamba may be developed as a separate app for Android and iOS devices

YouTube seems to be preparing a social networking platform called Tamba. References to this app were reportedly discovered in the latest version of the YouTube Android app. It is likely to offer social media features like user profiles, followers, direct messaging, and group chatting. However, Google has not officially announced the project or confirmed whether it plans to release Tamba publicly. It is speculated to be launched as a separate app for Android and iOS devices

YouTube Tamba App

As per a report by Android Authority, references to Tamba were found in version 21.44.534 of the YouTube app for Android. The APK teardown of the application reportedly includes a logo asset named 'yt_sandbox_topbar_logo_white', featuring the Tamba name in a bold typeface next to a scribble-like shape with a play button cut out of its centre.

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The app's code also includes a separate icon, “yt_fill_experimental_youtube_sandbox,” that could potentially serve as Tamba's app icon. Many additional icons were reportedly spotted in the app code with a similar sketch-like design. These include symbols for home, search, create, camera, inbox, chat, stickers, a microphone, and a person with a plus sign. The code also names icons for a crown, a lock, a locked bookmark, and a game controller. All these features resemble the navigation layout of Instagram.

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Tamba's logo is tied to a package name, "com.google.android.youtube.sandbox". References to dedicated ANDROID_SANDBOX and IOS_SANDBOX identifiers suggest that Google could be considering versions of Tamba for both Android and iOS devices.

The application code reportedly contains several notification references associated with social networking activities, such as following other accounts, follow requests, private profiles, direct messages, message exchanges, group chats, among others. The app codes reportedly suggest features like post reactions, comments and replies. It could support voice replies and YouTube Shorts sharing. Shorts can be played from within Tamba chats and from the app's bottom navigation bar.

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Tamba could be an experimental platform, and Google could use this platform to test new social networking features before a wide launch. Google has not shared any official information about Tamba.

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Further reading: YouTube, YouTube App, YouTube Tamba, Tamba

Nithya P Nair

Email Nithya P Nair

Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More