YouTube officially announced that its in-app video sharing and messaging feature is now rolling out to the US, UK, Brazil, and Singapore, bringing the total number of supported countries to 40.

The feature is available to users aged 18 and older who are logged into a YouTube channel. The rollout is gradual, so it may not appear in your app immediately.

How to DM on YouTube?

Once the feature is enabled for you, a messaging icon appears in the top right corner of the app. You can also share any video or Short directly from the Share button while watching.

The catch is that starting a conversation is not as simple as searching for someone. You have to send an invite link first, and that link must go out through a third-party app like WhatsApp, iMessage, or SMS. The other person then accepts the invite and gets added to your YouTube contacts. This extra step is designed to prevent spam and unwanted messages.

Once connected, you can send text messages freely, react to content in real time, unsend messages by long-pressing them, delete entire conversations, and block or report contacts if needed. The only media you can share inside the chat is YouTube content, including videos, livestreams, and Shorts. No images, GIFs, or files allowed.

Why is YouTube bringing messaging back now?

YouTube had a direct messaging feature in 2017, but it was quietly killed off in 2019. Now, it’s back once again in a much bigger way.

The feature has already been available in over 30 European countries since March 2026. YouTube says the positive response from countries where the feature was already live drove the decision to expand. Recently, the platform also added three new podcast features, but they are only for Premium subscribers.

If you have spent any time scrolling Instagram Reels or TikToks, you have come across a video format in which a creator overlays their video on top of the content they are talking about. This has become a popular format with creators, as these videos often go viral. 

X, a platform that has become a home for unnecessary outrage, wants to ride this wave of trendy reaction videos by allowing users to record them directly inside the app. The feature lets creators react with video on X posts, giving them even more opportunity to express themselves. 

Commentary is one of the most important pillars of X. And sometimes the best way to share your thoughts is with video.

Today we’re launching a whole new way to make them:
React with Video

Tap the repost button and start recording with green screen, split screen, or… pic.twitter.com/iF3f8wctbK

— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) June 2, 2026

If you ever felt that a text reply wasn’t enough to express your outrage, this new feature will be right up your alley.

How does React with Video work?

The feature dubbed “React with Video” appears as one of the options in an overlay menu when you hit the Repost button on a post. When you tap on it, X opens the post in the background with your video overlayed at the top. 

You can then hit the record button and start recording your thoughts. I like that you get the option to pause the recording, giving you ample time to recollect your thoughts. Once you are finished recording your thoughts, you can hit the checkmark button to preview your content. 

If you are happy with the result, you can post it as a reaction reply to the original post. 

What are your options when reacting with video?

It seems that X has put considerable thought into developing this feature, giving users ample customization options. By default, your video appears as an overlay, where X automatically removes your background. You can resize the video and move it to any part of the screen. 

If the original post has media attached, you can choose to make it full-screen and hide the text. This will come in handy if you want to focus more on the image than the post’s text. You can also choose to show your video in other styles, including picture-in-picture and split-screen modes. 

If you love making reaction videos, this will considerably decrease the effort required to create them. As for why anyone would choose to spend time on such an endeavor, that’s a question only they can answer.