YouTube Shorts is getting longer – a short video platform that allows users to post content up to three minutes long

SAN BRUNO (CALIFORNIA), October 5 – YouTube Shorts will now be slightly longer, allowing creators to upload videos up to three minutes long.

In a blog post published on Thursday, YouTube announced several updates to its short-video platform, including increasing the maximum video length, previously 60 seconds, starting October 15.

“This has been a most requested feature by creators, so we're excited to give you more flexibility in telling your story,” YouTube's post said.

“This change applies to videos whose aspect ratio is square or higher and will not affect videos you uploaded before October 15th. And we will work to improve recommendations for longer shorts in the coming months.”

The company also announced that it is improving the Shorts player, introducing new templates and launching a dedicated Shorts trends page for mobile users.

Users will soon be able to preview comment highlights directly in the feed without having to navigate to the comments section.

Creators can easily connect the latest trends with templates, combine their clips with popular sounds, and add their own unique touches using the “Remix” feature.

Users also have the ability to access YouTube content directly from the Shorts camera, making it easier to remix clips from their favorite videos.

A few weeks ago, YouTube announced that it would begin integrating Google DeepMind's Veo generative AI video model into YouTube Shorts later this year, saying it would allow creators to change their video backgrounds or publish standalone video clips .

Users also have the ability to customize how often they want to see Shorts in their own feeds.

The platform introduces the “Show less shorts” option.

Last year, YouTube launched a new tool that allows creators to convert their existing longer videos into “shorts” and also allows content creators who use YouTube Shorts to monetize their short videos.

YouTube's efforts are seen as an attempt to counter rival TikTok, which is gradually introducing long-form content in direct competition and encouraging creators to start publishing horizontal, longer videos in January.

In February last year, TikTok announced that it would increase the maximum video length from three to ten minutes. Previously the limit was 60 seconds, having initially been expanded from 15 seconds.