YouTube is currently testing a new feature aimed at reducing push notifications for channels that users have subscribed to with “All” notifications enabled but have not recently engaged with. This initiative seeks to address the issue of notification fatigue, which often leads users to completely disable all notifications from the platform rather than adjusting settings for individual channels.
Although push notifications will be limited, users will still have access to all notifications through the YouTube app’s notification inbox. This experiment comes on the heels of a previous feature rollout that introduced video suggestions within the ‘Now Playing’ queue view.
YouTube’s latest effort aims to help users manage the influx of notifications they initially opted into. When subscribing to a channel on YouTube, users have three options for notifications: None, Personalized, and All.
This new experiment applies specifically to those who have chosen the “All” option. Notifications set to ‘All’ generate push alerts on users’ devices as well as within the dedicated notification section in the app, represented by the bell icon.
The rationale behind choosing the ‘All’ setting is a genuine interest in the channel’s content, allowing users to stay informed about every upload and community post. However, interests can shift over time, and channels that were once favorites may fall out of favor.
In such cases, notifications can become overwhelming. Rather than fine-tuning settings for specific channels, many users opt to disable notifications altogether.
Through this new experiment, YouTube hopes to reduce notification noise by limiting push alerts to channels that users actively interact with. Currently, this feature is being rolled out to a select group of users.
If you’ve recently engaged with channels under the ‘All’ notification setting, you may not notice any changes. However, for those who haven’t engaged recently, push notifications will not be sent during the trial, although all notifications will remain accessible in the app.
This initiative is still in the testing phase, and while there is no set timeline for a wider rollout, it represents a balanced approach to managing notification clutter while allowing channels to maintain effective communication with their audience.
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