YouTube users lose it as platform teases first ever 'wrapped' feature fans have been begging for
It's been a long time coming
YouTube is teasing its first-ever 'wrapped' feature, a feature fans have been begging for.
As the end of the year rolls around, people love looking back at their digital habits.
Music apps like Spotify give users their 'Wrapped' summary, showing their most-played songs, favourite artists, and even how many times they hit the skip button. Similarly, Netflix offers a year-in-review feature for viewers who want to see their most-watched shows and top movie titles.
Now, YouTube has finally jumped on board, giving its users the recap feature they've been asking for.
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The video streaming platform dropped a subtle hint on X, by replying to a 2024 tweet that said: "I still want a YouTube Wrapped so bad…" with a shocked, glaring eyes emoji.
Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee also broke the news to his followers on X, posting: "YouTube..... listened! "YouTube Recap" is live today and shows all the channels and genres you watched most during the year".
This comes after Brownlee publicly asked YouTube for the feature back in 2024, writing: "Annual free idea reminder for @YouTube: YouTube WRAPPED. I want to see what channels I watched the most. How many YouTube shorts I scrolled. All the stats. You could even brand it "Rewind" 🤓".
According to YouTube's announcement, the Recap feature will 'uniquely highlight interests, deep dives, and moments' pulled from your viewing history. Users will reportedly get up to 12 cards showing their top channels, favourite topics, and how their video preferences changed throughout the year.
It seems the Google-owned platform is going a step further by assigning users a 'personality type' based on what they watch, including categories like Adventurer, Skill Builder, and Creative Spirit.
The feature just launched for US users today and is set to be available worldwide throughout this week. You can find YouTube Recap on both mobile devices and desktop by clicking the dedicated button on YouTube's homepage or through the 'You' tab in the user menu.
Meanwhile, people who use the YouTube Music app will get 'a separate YouTube Music Recap available within that app,' a YouTube support page noted.
Along with the personal Recap launch, YouTube also released trend charts showing which topics, creators, podcasts and songs dominated with US viewers this year.
Some results are pretty predictable as MrBeast still reigns as the top creator and The Joe Rogan Experience holds the number one podcast spot. But there are some surprises, like the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack being less popular in Shorts despite topping the general songs chart.
Social media users have been flooding the comments on Brownlee's post with excitement.
"YouTube really said: ‘Let’s expose your 3AM binge watching habits.’ 😭📊 Loading my Recap…," one person wrote.
"YouTube finally rolling out proper analytics for viewers, love this! Time to see which channels stole my screen time," another user added.
"Had been waiting for this! So cool," a third user commented.