How To Send A Personal Message On Youtube

YouTube is not the platform you usually associate with messaging. Messaging on YouTube was so unpopular that the company removed it in July of 2018. Luckily, there is still a way to send messages on this popular video-sharing platform regardless of which device you are using. There are even some alternative ways to get in touch with your favorite YouTuber.

YouTube Messaging on a Desktop/Laptop

Step 1

Log into your YouTube account from a browser and click on the "speech bubble" icon next to Notifications. It's located in the upper right section.

The drop-down menu lists all the friends you've connected with. If you want to add more, click on Friends in the upper right corner.

The video sharing platform provides a list of potential friends based on your Gmail contacts, assuming they are on YouTube as well. You can invite them by clicking on the blue "friend" icon.

Alternately, click on the More menu (three vertical dots) and select Invite. Once the friend confirms the invitation, you can start chatting.

Step 2

Click on the profile from the Messages menu and the chat pops up at the bottom of the window.

The chat menu is basic. Type your message or paste a URL, hit enter, and you've sent the message. The More menu (three vertical dots) allows you to add more people to the chat, view participants, or delete the conversation.

YouTube Messaging via Mobile

You can easily message a person on YouTube on a mobile device via the YouTube app.

Note: Taping on YouTube from mobile Google Chrome takes you to the app.

Launch YouTube app and select Inbox at the bottom of the screen.

The following window shows you a list of friends you've connected with. Tap on the person you want to chat with and enter your message.

Mobile YouTube messaging is superior to the one in the browser. First, you get to choose and send different emoticons from your keyboard. Typing the emoticon symbols in the browser doesn't turn it into an image.

You can also search for keywords and YouTube videos by tapping on the additional icons located in the "Say something…" box. Tapping on the More menu (guess how many dots there are) gives you a Mute Notifications option, which is not available if you're accessing YouTube via the browser.

Group Messages

The mobile YouTube app allows you to create messaging groups. And again, this option is not available if you're accessing YouTube via the browser.

Tap on New Group from your Inbox and type the name of the group. Hit Done and tap Invite Friends to add more people to the group.

This option is quite useful if you are using YouTube for business, want to promote your channel or communicate with your followers.

Messaging Your Favorite YouTuber

Chances are you won't be able to message your favorite YouTuber using the methods described above. However, there is a way to work around this inconvenience. And the following tricks apply to both mobile and desktop YouTube.

Click on the channel you want to message and navigate to the About page. Under details, click on Show Email to reveal the contact address. On desktop, you might need to prove your humanity by checking off a box next to the "I'm not a robot" statement.

Nevertheless, some channels like Vox readily share their emails, so it should be pretty easy to get in touch with them.

Another way to reach out to a channel/YouTuber is to use the Links section on the about page. There are usually links to Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook which makes the entire messaging process easier.

A Few Tips and Tricks for the Road

Time Watched

Go to your account and select Time Watched to see how many hours you've spent watching videos. The menu also gives you the option to be reminded to take a break if you get carried away.

YouTube Stories

You might not know it but YouTube jumped on the stories bandwagon as well. Tap Subscriptions on a mobile device and swipe up until you reach Stories. Hit the story you like and swipe left or right to view more.

Restricted Mode

There is very little content that can be labeled as adult-only on YouTube. Still, if you are worried about the videos your children watch, go to the Settings and toggle the Restricted Mode to on.

Type, Send, Reply

With more messaging options available on the mobile app, YouTube seems to encourage users to chat via the platform. Albeit user-friendly and straightforward, YouTube messages are nowhere near Facebook Messenger or Instagram DM.

You would probably start using the YT messages more if the platform allowed direct messages to YouTubers who are not your friends. Anyway, have you ever messaged someone on YouTube? If so, drop us a comment below.