YouTube Will No Longer Suggest Videos If Watch History Is Disabled
If you use YouTube, you’re aware of how the platform recommends videos to you — and sometimes users may not want to see the recommended videos. Now in a new announcement today – YouTube said its latest update will allow users to disable video recommendations if they disable their watch history.
“If YouTube Watch History is turned off and you don’t have significant past watch history, features that require watch history to make video recommendations will be disabled starting today, such as YouTube’s home feed,” YouTube said.
YouTube also notes that as a result of this change, users’ home page “may look much different” and that users can now see the search bar and left guide menu “without the featured videos feed, which allows you to more easily search, browse subscribed channels, and explore Topic tabs.”
In terms of availability, YouTube announced that disabling watch history will be rolled out to users gradually over the next few months. This likely means that not all YouTube users will experience this change right away.
To disable YouTube watch history:
- Sign in to the Google account you use on YouTube.
- Next, visit this link.
- Now scroll down and find “YouTube History”.
- Click “Turn off”. That’s it. Your YouTube history is now turned off.
Over the past few months, YouTube has been making changes to its platform to benefit its viewers. In June, the Google-owned company introduced a new policy regarding fan channels. This policy requires users who wish to create or already maintain a fan channel to make it clear that their channel is not affiliated with the original creator, artist or community by choosing a channel name or handle that reflects this. These changes will come into effect later this month – August 21, 2023.
