No more YouTube recommendations on Android if video history is turned off
No more YouTube recommendations on Android if video history is turned off
This is explained on this support answer
It's a thing on Revanced YT even if spoofing an old version. Applies to the web version as well now
This seems to be due to some new EU law ?
Doesn't that make sense? How would they know what to recommend if they don't store the history of what you watch?
Yes I know it's bogus and they store it anyway - but just to humor the theory.
Since YouTube's beginning it has made recommendations without using a watch history. For personalized recommendations, it based them on subscriptions if watch history wasn't on.
Maybe they can just ask you about what you want to watch?
Speaking of which, have you watched the movie yet? Pretty good right? ☺️
I feel like that defeats the purpose of automated recommendations, since you can still search for the videos (that you want to watch) and create playlists either way.
Permanently Deleted
That is bloody lovely to not get distracted
yup, I didn't say it was bad, I just said they made this a thing :)
Permanently Deleted
Is this bad? I really wouldn't want YouTube to recommend me random garbage if they didn't know what I already watched
lol, I've always kept my watch history "paused" and YouTube always recommends... the videos I've already seen. Great. Thanks.
Yt already recommends videos I've seen which is why I turned it off, now it doesn't know what I'm interested in based on previous vids I've seen
Is this a con for people?
The recommendation algorithm has always been garbage to me.
Oh, nice! I really appreciate those rare occasions where Google makes my experience better.
Actually nice.
Am I the only one to find Google to be completely stupid here? Aren't they missing out on a chance to push videos with ads?
Yes and no. Without a users video history (& other tracking turned off) best they can do is push random ads hoping it would hit one in a million. That is not effective and sometimes even diseffective (hitting a controversially opposite target). Tha harms YouTube on both ends more than the ad’s company
By pushing users to turn it on they apparently gain more than just pushing random horse crap.
What's up with the weird logo on YouTube lately?
Click it and it will show you.
Some calligraphy thing
Wait, that's all I have to do? Now I just need to figure out how to turn video history off.
Permanently Deleted
Piped servers a getting blocked by Google apparently
Permanently Deleted
Just checked right now, Piped doesn't load any videos anymore. However, Invidious still works. NewPipe (which directly connects to YouTube, doesn't go through a Piped instance) on Android also works.
You are using the official client? It's terrible on pretty much any platform
I'm using revanced
Yeah that's it for me, I'm done with the YT app. They keep making it shittier. Guess I'll give revanced a look.
You'll never go back. It doesn't take much to set up. There are guides.
Already all done sub 15 minutes.
How are they going to know what to recommend if they have no idea what you're interested in?
I'm genuinely surprised how many people don't like youtube recommendations. It works really well for me
They seemed to manage just fine before the change. I had watch history off and I got fairly relevant suggestions based on the view I was currently watching along with my subscriptions.
This isn't about suggesting videos this is about making users accept lesser levels of privacy in order to get more money from targeted advertising by withholding previously functional features.
Like they managed before?
Messed around with it. If I have zero video history and turn it on it has accurate recommendations, based on videos I've recently watched (while watch history was disabled).
ok. first to-do things on my list now.
Seriously, youtube recommendation become a trash. All it recommend me is propaganda videos even though I'm never interested in it. Gone are the golden age where youtubers don't simp for like, share, subscribe and comment.
one word for you, my friend. Revanced
it's the same on revanced and they're wrong it's on pc too
It's on topic. You're good. 👍
Let's hope this applies to Google TV homescreen too.
Do Revanced or Piped allow you to easily cast now? That was my main issue with them a while ago (I'm on a Pixel 6 Pro, maybe it was my phone?)
I think it works now but I can't verify right now.
nice. i disabled my history for this very reason.
I still get recommendations on the Android Youtube App and my watch history is completely empty and turned off.
Slowly rolling out
I just noticed it on the web browser. Great stuff. The home feed is just gone now.
👍 👍
This happened to me a year ago I think. There was no way I was going to turn on watch history. Previously it would make recommendations based on my subscriptions, and that was fine, so why use watch history? It resulted in me almost never using YouTube, and after a few months it went back to normal. Maybe you can wait it out.
Looks like I'm canceling my YouTube Premium Subscription.
i pay less than $2/m cos "I'm from Argentina" :)
they started rolling this out on desktop too now
It's not exclusive to android. Guess YouTube really likes being a bunch of assholes
Why do you want YouTube recommendations if you're not willing to make an account?
I'd occasionally visit on a work pc to put an album or book on but the homepage recommendations are so bad looking it's all like very samey cringey thumbnails. I'd be delighted if that was gone.
Awesome. I don't sit around youtube, don't use the official app, and don't subscribe to anyone with a real account.
Perfect.
Dude, just because "you" don't care doesn't mean everbody else shouldn't give a sh*t about this as well