YouTube is making comments more fun — and fandom more lucrative for creators

YouTube unveiled multiple updates aimed at improving engagement and creator monetization at its Made On YouTube event. The platform is introducing GIF replies in the comments and enabling viewers to leave comments from their TVs using voice input, removing the need to type with a remote. YouTube framed these changes as part of efforts to modernize its comments experience, which has lagged behind features on rival services.

On moderation, the company announced a personalized moderation tool that creators can tailor to their needs. YouTube described this capability as an "experiment" and did not publish technical details, but positioned it as a way to give creators more control, particularly during live streams where moderating fast-moving conversations is challenging.

To strengthen creator communities and revenue options, YouTube said Channel Memberships will now support paid, members-only communities where subscribers can post and converse with other top fans. These memberships will be promoted on a new channel memberships discovery page designed to help viewers find communities that match their interests.

The platform also expanded Hype, a feature that rewards fans for promoting smaller creators. Under the new "Hype with Jewels" functionality, fans can purchase Jewels to hype videos beyond the previous free limit of three hypes per week; YouTube reported users have hyped more than 75 million unique videos over one billion times to date. Additionally, direct messaging will gain group chat support and the ability to share short recorded videos in the coming months.

YouTube’s community updates arrive alongside other creator tools announced at the event, including A/B testing, live dubbing, and AI-assisted video editing. The company framed these additions as part of a broader push to give creators more ways to engage audiences and to diversify income sources beyond advertising.