YouTube is no longer showing recommended videos to users logged out of a Google account or using Incognito mode, making people concerned they are being bullied into always being signed into the service.
This change, which is now rolling out, shows a simple YouTube homepage without any videos or tips on what to watch.
Before, even in incognito mode or when not logged in, Google would still show you video suggestions.
Now, users see a message saying "Get Started" and "Start watching videos to help us build a feed of videos you'll love" when they open YouTube in incognito mode, with videos no longer being recommended.
Source: BleepingComputer
In multiple tests conducted by BleepingComputer on different computers, we observed that even when we search for something on YouTube, it doesn't show any suggestions, and we keep seeing the message to watch more videos.
As noted by some on X, users who have cleaned their search and watch history or turned off their history settings also see no suggestions when they're logged in.
Some people think YouTube is being pushy about this, trying to make users turn on their history settings.
BleepingComputer has reached out to Google to learn more about the YouTube update but a reply was not immediately available.
Comments
jipjip - 3 months ago
This is not new and i saw youtube doing this from months ago.
rhavenn - 3 months ago
"This is not new and i saw youtube doing this from months ago."
They also tie this setting to your YoutubeTV account. So, if you're using a AppleTV / Roku / whatever to watch you won't see your episodes watched history or where you last stopped unless you turn this on.
GT500 - 3 months ago
I've been seeing this for about the past week in private windows, but fortunately not in regular windows even though I am signed out of Google's services.
I'm sorry Google, but a minor inconvenience isn't going to get me to sign in to my account just to view videos on YouTube. Most of the suggested content on the homepage in a private window was garbage anyway, and I'd be better off just searching for something interesting (or better yet a channel that I like) than clicking on crap on the homepage.
h_b_s - 3 months ago
"Some people think YouTube is being pushy about this, trying to make users turn on their history settings."
If they are, it's backfiring for me at least. For the past few weeks it's been doing this clean, no-BS page with a search box and little else. THANK YOU!! That page with the "promoted" videos and the endless trending conspiracy theory videos, disingenuous and breathlessly clickbait-y 'self-help' videos that are probably dangerous, and the annoying Mr Beast and Ssniperwolf videos I never want to see are all gone. Good riddance! All I want to see is the video I'm looking for. The rest is dark patterned crap.
blackhatcat - 3 months ago
>As noted by some on X, users who have cleaned their search and watch history or turned off their history settings also see no suggestions when they're logged in.
this is and has been the intended functionality for ages now. suggestions are based on your watch history.
clearing out your search and watch history on youtube will kill your suggestions as well.
this has been this way for well over the past year
tech_engineer - 3 months ago
And this is bad how? I see this great to not see recommendations based on the country where I live which 98% of the time are not what I want.
TsVk! - 3 months ago
Yeah I have to totally agree, most people are stupid and the general recommendations without being logged in reflect that.
johnlsenchak - 3 months ago
Forced monetization of your person information to display ads
Use ad blockers on Youtube.com
doncoyote - 3 months ago
This isn't a bug, it's a feature. We're in sad shape when we rely on YouTube recommendations for our video viewing decisions.
rhasce - 3 months ago
New to you? Youtube about to start charging for opening your eyes.
asdfadsf - 3 months ago
I've been getting this for a while now, at least a month.
electrolite - 3 months ago
You mean I don't get to see Mr Beast's fake laughing face and fake Linus smug look on my recommended feeds any more? Say it isn't so...
buzzword - 3 months ago
If I was a content creator I'd be super pissed because this will likely result in a significant drop in views. The people like myself who don't wish to sign in still won't.
buzzword - 3 months ago
You still show ads to people who don't sign in, so it seems to me that stopping people from discovering and viewing more content because they won't sign in is biting off your nose to spite your face. What misguided genius executive came up with this plan to lower revenue?
GT500 - 3 months ago
I think the idea is to increase the number of people who sign in to their accounts so that Google can make money from them where they really make money, which is collecting data and building a profile so that they can sell targeted advertising directed at them (and of course sell whatever data they collect).
When someone is signed in, Google can more easily track their usage across multiple devices, and after they delete YouTube related cookies in their browser. This allows them to more easily build a profile on those of us who are difficult to keep track of.