YouTube is increasing entry to its live-stream jewels, whereas it’s additionally including some extra exact enhancing instruments to present you extra artistic management over your content material.
First off, on Jewels, YouTube’s live-stream donation possibility, which it first launched again in 2024 with U.S. creators in its YouTube Associate Program (YPP). Jewels are basically an in-app foreign money that allows live-stream viewers to buy digital stickers that they’ll then apply throughout a stay stream. A share of the sticker buy worth then allotted to the streamer, offering a enjoyable strategy to donate to your favourite creators in-stream.

And now, YouTube is increasing each to YPP creators in Canada as nicely.
As per YouTube: “Items are a enjoyable and interactive means for viewers to specific appreciation for creators throughout vertical stay streams. Jewels are digital objects that viewers should buy to ship items, and creators earn Rubies primarily based on the Jewels that viewers redeem for items.”
Yeah, it may be barely complicated with the various naming conventions right here, however basically, Jewels are a digital foreign money that viewers can purchase to then trade for in-app stickers, whereas Rubies are what creators acquire from Jewels donations, they usually can then be exchanged for actual cash.
Unsure why YouTube felt the necessity to use totally different valuable stones as titles, however that’s the fundamental breakdown.
So now, live-stream creators in Canada may have extra methods to earn money, whereas viewers may have an extra strategy to donate to streamers throughout a broadcast.
On one other entrance, YouTube is bettering its enhancing instruments for Shorts, which make it simpler to make exact adjustments to your video clips.

With this new enhancing course of, creators will have the ability to make changes and edits to the timing of every aspect inside the video composer display screen. You’ll have the ability to zoom in on every observe, re-arrange them, and extra, making it simpler to get your Shorts clips precisely the way in which you need them.
YouTube says the brand new enhancing choices are being rolled out on Android, and shall be coming to iOS quickly.
YouTube’s additionally testing out its conversational AI device on good TVs, gaming consoles and streaming gadgets, which can allow linked TV (CTV) viewers to make use of voice queries to get solutions.
YouTube’s conversational AI chatbot permits viewers to ask questions on what they’re viewing, and get responses in-stream.
And now, chosen CTV viewers will even have the ability to use this.
“Whereas watching a video, choose the ‘Ask’ button to open the AI device. Choose from instructed prompts, or use the microphone button to ask questions utilizing your voice. In case your TV distant has a microphone button, you may also use that button to set off the conversational AI device and ask questions.”
So that you’ll have the ability to interact direct with YouTube’s AI chatbot whereas viewing in your TV, so you possibly can ask extra questions concerning the content material that you just’re viewing.
YouTube says that it’s going to start testing this with a small group of customers forward of future enlargement.
Lastly, YouTube can also be updating the way in which Shorts are displayed within the YouTube Studio cellular app.

Up until now, Shorts have been displayed in a listing format, in the identical model as long-form movies, however now, Shorts shall be displayed in a grid format, in the identical means that they seem on the YouTube predominant app.
Creators may have the choice to change their view again to listing format if they like, however the replace offers another, extra acquainted show for Shorts content material.