YouTube Expands Live Chat Test to 31 Countries in Europe

YouTube mentions that the direct message feature is one of the most requested features from users (photo: dok. youtube)

JAKARTA - Google's video platform, YouTube, is expanding its trial of a direct messaging (DM) feature to more regions. In this latest expansion, the feature is now available in 31 countries in the European region.

Previously, the trial of the DM feature in the YouTube app was only available in two countries, namely Poland and Ireland. With the latest expansion, the number of countries that can access the feature has increased significantly.

According to a report written by Sai Krishna on March 6, 2026, this feature allows users to share videos with friends or family through a private conversation directly within the app.

YouTube actually introduced a direct message feature in 2017. However, the feature did not last long because it was discontinued about two years later. In November 2025, YouTube tried again to bring the DM feature into the application, but still on a limited scale.

Now, the company is expanding the experiment as part of its efforts to bring a communication space within the platform so that users can share videos and discuss without having to switch to another application.

In the region that has just gained access, users will see a welcome screen that says "Say hello to direct messaging on YouTube". Through this feature, users can send messages to friends while sharing various types of videos available on YouTube, including long videos, Shorts, and live broadcasts.

To use this feature, users must be at least 18 years old and log into their YouTube account. The DM feature also allows users to send invitations to friends so that they can start a conversation and share videos after the invitation is accepted. The system will send a notification when a friend accepts the invitation.

Although it has been expanded to many countries in Europe, this feature is still not available in a number of other regions, including the United States. YouTube said that the direct message feature is one of the most requested features from users, so it will likely be expanded to more countries in the future.

However, to date, the company has not revealed a specific schedule for when the feature will be available globally.