YouTube Testing Voice Replies for Comments But with a Catch

Over the years, YouTube has gone through several changes, but one thing that has remained more or less the same is its comment section. It only allows you to type a text comment that others can like or dislike, and leave their replies. However, today we got a surprising glimpse of a new voice replies in the comments feature working on YouTube.

Google recently shared in their YouTube Help thread that they are experimenting with voice replies in comments. The feature is currently exclusive to test creators who can click on the sound wave icon to then reply to any other comments on their videos.

We saw this feature in action with YouTuber ThioJoe’s new video. He replied to several comments under his video using the voice comments feature. It is a small message with a play button that you tap on to listen to the comment. Below the voice note is a “Show transcript” option that you can use to transcribe the comment. This left other commentators in awe and excitement.

Some people commented that they came to this video just to witness this new feature. It is in early experimental phrase but limited to YouTube Creators only, that too who are part of the test group. They can only leave voice replies in the comment section of their own video. However, the feature is available only on the iOS version of the YouTube app for now.

It is a bummer that YouTube expressed no plans to make this option available for everyone. As I know that this could drastically increase the engagement for videos. But I understand their decision as people can leave unfiltered comments on family-friendly videos. And given these are voice messages, it can be difficult to moderate them.

But what are your thoughts on the topic? Are you excited about this new feature and would you like YouTube to make it available for everyone? Let us know in the comments below.