YouTube rethinks how recommendations work with user-shaped content feed

YouTube is testing "Your Custom Feed," a feature that lets users type prompts to shape recommendations directly, offering clearer control over what appears on the home feed

YouTube has announced that it is testing a new feature designed to give users clearer control over what shows up on their home feed. According to a report by The Verge, the experiment, called “Your Custom Feed,” aims to fix long-running frustrations with YouTube’s recommendation system, which often surfaces videos that do not match what viewers actually want to watch.

 

Today, YouTube offers only a few ways to signal interest or disinterest in content. Users can click “Not interested”, “Don’t recommend channel”, or remove items from their watch history to influence future suggestions. While these tools help to an extent, the algorithm can still overreact. For example, flooding the feed with similar videos after watching just one or two on a topic.

Your Custom Feed on YouTube: What does the feature offer?

The new feature takes a more direct approach compared with the existing methods. Test participants will see a “Your Custom Feed” button next to the usual Home tab. Instead of waiting for the algorithm to interpret behaviour, users can type in specific prompts, and YouTube will adjust recommendations accordingly. This allows viewers to steer their feed proactively rather than correcting it after it makes an error.

 

YouTube’s experiment comes as other social platforms also rethink how recommendations work. Threads is trialling new tools to let users fine-tune their algorithm, while X is developing a feed-adjustment system powered by its AI chatbot, Grok. Together, these moves reflect a broader industry push to give users more transparency and control over personalised content.

What else is YouTube testing?

YouTube is also testing the return of private messaging in its mobile app, allowing users to share videos and chat directly without switching platforms. The experiment, available only to adults in Ireland and Poland, lets users start conversations through invitations and includes options to block or report chats, all governed by YouTube’s Community Guidelines. The feature effectively revives the messaging system removed in 2019, following years of user requests for easier private sharing.