Shorts Are Getting Longer?!

You read that right, Shorts are getting longer, but you shouldn't be surprised. TikTok has been experimenting with longer-form content for a long time, with their current max length being 60 minutes long. YouTube have said that expanding the Shorts length has been a top request from creators. We assume these creators are also on TikTok.

On October 15th, any uploaded videos with a square or taller aspect ratio that is under 3 minutes will be considered a Short. However, this will not be applied retroactively, so any videos uploaded before October 15th won't count. Remember that so you don't accidently post any short videos before the change!

What should I know about this update?

3 minute Shorts will be monetized the same as a 60 second Short. This could be bad news for some consider how little you make from Shorts compared to long-form content. You will get more watch time with 3 minute Shorts, but it won't matter if you're trying to apply for the YPP since it only counts Shorts view. If YouTube changes their YPP requirements again and make it where watch time from Shorts count, it could be useful.

Shorts over 60 seconds with copyrighted content will not be playable or recommended. If your channel primarily runs off of using other creator's content, you might not be able to use this new update. We're talking about channels that take podcasts, TV shows, movies, or any other copyrighted content and turn them into Shorts. There are no penalties if this happens (besides the block), and you can remove the block by removing the copyrighted content in your Shorts via the YT Editor.

The Shorts Audio Library is only for Shorts under 60 seconds! For Shorts over 60 seconds, you'll have to use YouTube's Audio Library or any other copyright-free songs. If not, you may receive a Content ID claim and your Shorts may be blocked.

Shorts discovery surfaces aren't changing with the introduction of 3 minute Shorts. However, YouTube will be working to improve recommendations for longer Shorts in the coming months. We're entering another transition period for YouTube, so be aware of any new changes you may find with Shorts or even your long-form content.

Here are some other Shorts related updates.

Remix is becoming more powerful with the ability to pull multiple clips across YouTube! They'll also be adding templates for you to try out through the Remix option. This may get a little hectic with the amount of clips you can pull, but it'll be an interesting change to see how you can spin trends into new ones.

Shorts trends page are now on YT mobile, allowing you to stay on top of the latest trends. You can find the trends page when you pause a Shorts and click on the Trends chip at the top. This will take you to the latest Shorts trend that refreshes daily.

Coming Soon: Comment previews from the Shorts feed. We haven't seen an example picture of this yet, but we assume you'll see comments popping up when you're scrolling through the Shorts feed. Whether that'll be one or two comments in the beginning or a constant stream of comments throughout the play time of the Shorts, we've yet to see. This will give viewers an idea of what others are saying before they go into the comment section.

Shorts haters may finally have a chance to see less of it. YouTube is introducing a new option called "Show fewer Shorts." We assume it works similar to "Not Interested" for long-form videos. You can access this by clicking on the three dot menu in the upper right of any Shorts grid in your Home feed.

However, YouTube wrote that they'll "temporarily" show you fewer Shorts. This means that this temporary status will be removed and you'll end up seeing Shorts again... which makes this not sound like a viable solution.

Viewers have complained before that the "Not Interested" option doesn't work as intended, and with YouTube saying that it'll temporarily show you fewer Shorts, this might be the reason why.

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