It’s also getting TikTok’s stitch feature
The rise and success of TikTok has spawned a host of clones coming from many companies. Two of the most notable ones include Meta’s Instagram Reels and Google’s YouTube Shorts. Being integrated into YouTube, arguably one of the biggest video streaming platforms in the world, the latter quickly gained momentum. Now, Google is expanding support for Shorts to other platforms, like tablets and the web, in addition to expanding content options for creators to work a little more similarly to TikTok.
As announced by Google, a handful of changes are coming to bring Shorts to more people and make them more versatile. YouTube Shorts will begin appearing on the web version of YouTube, as well as on Android-powered tablets and iPads. The lack of tablet support had the added side effect of Shorts not appearing on foldable phones like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold lineup. Not only are foldables becoming more popular every day, but Google also wants to recapture the large-screen market with Android 12L, so it’s good to see the YouTube app righting this wrong.
Then, we have the new creator options. One edge TikTok has over its competitors is its surprisingly powerful video editing and creation tools, even letting you “duet” and “stitch” videos from other users. YouTube Shorts is now gaining similar functionality. The new “Cut” feature will work almost identically to TikTok’s stitches, letting you grab a snippet from someone else’s video and use it on your own. Creators that don’t want other users remixing their stuff can opt out of this for their videos, too.
If you want to use Shorts on the web, you likely already have access to it — you’ll see a “Shorts” item in the left sidebar when accessing from your browser. For Android tablets, though, you’ll likely need to wait a few weeks as it’s rolling out. As for the new Cut option, it will be available for iOS in the coming weeks, while you can expect to see it on Android later this year. Maybe that will help boost original Shorts videos — right now, most of them are still TikTok re-uploads.
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