GoKawiil
Tech News
YouTube is testing a new desktop layout that relocates comments and video details into a right-hand sidebar while placing enlarged recommended-video thumbnails below the player. The test appears to be reaching more web users, and reports on Reddit describe the resulting watch page as cramped and cluttered. A similar layout was tested and rolled back in 2024 after user backlash.
Listeners, many of them younger users, have been posting on the sparsely trafficked Spotify comment sections of NPR podcast episodes, turning the underused feature into an informal chat space. The comments sections, rather than containing feedback on the episodes themselves, have filled with casual back-and-forth conversation among a recurring group of users.
NPR staff discovered that middle schoolers were using the Spotify comment section under an episode of its Wild Card podcast to chat with friends, initially mistaking the flurry of cryptic, emoji-laden posts for bot spam. This American Life host Ira Glass investigated the phenomenon, learning that kids sought out podcasts with few existing comments specifically to use as a private-feeling space. NPR says a similar pattern occurred previously on an episode of Ted Radio Hour.
YouTube announced updates to its comments section and creator monetization tools at its Made On YouTube event, including support for GIF replies, voice-based comments on TV, a personalized comment moderation experiment, and expanded Channel Memberships that let creators run paid, members-only communities with posts and discussions.
The Verge's Decoder podcast, hosted by Nilay Patel with producers Nick Statt and Greg Ott, released a mailbag episode responding to audience feedback gathered since April across email, YouTube, Spotify, Bluesky and Threads. The hosts singled out a prior video described as the 'software brain' segment as the most discussed piece of content on the show in the past six months.
YouTube offers just one sanctioned method for downloading videos: a YouTube Premium subscription. Originally limited to mobile devices, the download feature has since expanded to desktop platforms after testing began in 2020. However, videos saved this way can only be viewed within the YouTube app and cannot be repurposed for editing or reuse elsewhere.
TikTok is expanding its comment section beyond text, letting users reply with voice clips, photo carousels, and polls. The update aims to make comment threads more interactive and expressive, treating them as a richer space for engagement rather than a simple text feed.
TikTok is adding several new comment features: voice comments up to 60 seconds long for users 18 and older, rolling out over the next month; comment polls with up to five options that creators can track results for, already live globally; and photo comment upgrades including live photo uploads available now and the ability to post up to nine images in a carousel comment within the next month.
TikTok is rolling out new comment features including voice comments up to one minute long, creator-run polls, photo carousel comments, and Live Photo comments. Voice comments will roll out globally over the next month to users 18 and older, while polls—previously limited to some creators—are now available worldwide.