Hey Creators — time for this month’s roundup. YouTube has been busy rolling out new tools, and a lot of these updates may genuinely help you to protect your brand, understand your audience, and fine-tune your content. Let’s break it all down in a way that actually makes sense.
🔍 Likeness Detection: Protect Yourself From Unauthorised AI Content
YouTube is introducing a new Likeness Detection tool inside YouTube Studio, designed to spot videos using your face without permission. As AI-generated content keeps getting more realistic, this is a big step forward in keeping your identity safe.
You’ll find it in Studio → Content Detection → Likeness.
Before anything gets scanned, you’ll need to do a quick one-time setup. If your channel has multiple on-camera creators, each person can set up their own detection. This feature is rolling out to all YPP creators by January 2026, so if you don’t see it yet, it’s on the way.
A nice bit of peace of mind.
🆚 A/B Testing Thumbnails & Titles (Now Available to All Eligible Creators)
A/B testing is no longer a closed beta — it’s now available broadly. Huge win.
You can test up to three thumbnails and/or titles to see which performs best with your actual audience. YouTube rotates them evenly across viewers and picks a winner based on watch-time share, not just clicks.
Where to find it:
- In YouTube Studio on desktop
- On any new upload or existing video
- Just hit the icon under the title or thumbnail section and start a test
A/B testing only works on public, long-form videos, and the test begins once the video is live.
If YouTube finds a statistically clear winner, it’ll mark it — but you can always manually choose whichever version you want.
This is one of the most powerful optimisation tools YouTube has ever given creators. Use it.
🤖 Ask Studio: YouTube’s New AI Partner
Creators in the US now have access to Ask Studio — YouTube’s conversational AI assistant inside Studio.
You can ask it things like:
- What’s resonating with your community
- Insights from your analytics
- Content ideas and inspiration
You’ll find it via the Ask Studio icon in YouTube Studio. More regions will get access soon, so UK creators — it’s coming.
🎥 Public → Members-Only Live Streams
If you run channel memberships, this update is a handy little quality-of-life improvement.
You can now instantly switch a public live stream into a members-only stream mid-broadcast. Viewers who aren’t members will see the option to join on the spot.
It’s a clean way to deliver bonus value to the people who support you — without needing separate stream setups.
💬 Smarter, AI-Enhanced Comment Reply Suggestions
YouTube is rolling out an improved version of comment reply suggestions across:
- Studio Mobile
- Main YouTube app
- Studio Desktop
The big upgrade?
The suggestions now adapt to your style and tone, and they’re completely editable before posting. They’re also available in 100+ languages.
Think of it as a starting point, not an autopilot feature — especially handy on busy videos.
🛍️ Cleaner Product Timestamp Displays on Mobile
If you use product tagging, this one’s for your viewers’ sanity.
Tagged product timestamps will now appear in a smoother, less intrusive shelf below the video. It stays open between timestamps and keeps the last item visible until the next one appears.
Small tweak, big difference for watchability.
👥 Communities Get a Big Upgrade
YouTube’s Communities area just became much more powerful and — finally — more accessible.
Here’s what’s new:
✔ Available on Desktop
You and your viewers can now view, post, and moderate communities directly from a PC.
✔ Pin Posts
Creators and moderators can pin important posts at the top — perfect for announcements, rules, welcome messages, or standout fan contributions.
✔ Heart Viewer Posts
A nice way to show appreciation and signal to your community that you noticed their contribution.
✔ Shareable Community Links
On mobile, you can grab a direct link to your community page and share it anywhere. Great for growing your space across platforms.
That’s a Wrap
That’s everything YouTube has shipped this month. Lots of genuinely useful quality-of-life updates and a few big features that’ll shape how creators protect their content and engage their audience.
If you want deeper breakdowns or help putting any of these tools into your workflow, keep an eye on Creator Compass — more guides are on the way.
