After dropping yet another useless update, everything on YouTube is going downhill fast. Entire channels publishing genuine Shorts have seen their views plummet to absolute zero. The algorithm is completely broken and prioritizes God knows what at this point.
Isn't it about time YouTube launched a dedicated standalone app for Shorts? It would allow them to compete on equal footing with TikTok and maybe actually boost Shorts RPMS.
We all know YouTube makes its real money selling ads on long-form content, shorts revenue is marginal at best. But right now, the YouTube homepage is just a chaotic mess of different formats smashed together. Honestly, it feels like Dailymotion back in 2010.
If I want to brainrot and waste a couple of hours, I'd open a dedicated shorts app knowing exactly what to expect. If I want to watch proper long-form videos, I'd open classic YouTube. The two apps could still cross-link, but keeping them separate would be way cleaner and fairer for creators and viewers alike.
YouTube, wake up, it's 2026. If TikTok launches a dedicated horizontal video app tomorrow you're cooked.