YouTube Spotted Testing New Video, Download Recommendations; Stories Expansion Test Also Seen

YouTube is testing a new video recommendation format that displays blue bubbles on the screen with relevant keywords and related topic suggestions, facilitating easier browsing, a report claimed.

"The screenshots obtained show these blue bubbles just underneath the video player showing more specific video recommendations," The Verge reported on Tuesday.

The video-sharing platform is currently testing the feature with some users on its main desktop page as well as on the mobile app, the report added.

For sometime now users have been complaining that the videos recommended on the side on YouTube's interface often have little to do with the current video, making recommendations a point of contention for the platform.

"It's unclear if the videos that populate from the new recommendation bubbles will face similar algorithmic issues that YouTube's recommendation feed currently suffers," the report added.

There has not been any word from YouTube as of now on the working of these blue bubbles and whether or not they will roll out the test feature to a bigger group in the coming months.

Separately, the company has been spotted testing video download recommendations to some users. Another report claimed that YouTube was seen testing an expansion of its Stories feature, where some users are seeing YouTube Stories in their Home feed that they don't subscribe to.

Written with inputs from IANS