YouTube celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 23, 2025, unveiling new features, engagement stats, hidden tools, and special additions to honor two decades of creativity.
Viraj Mahesh, Senior Product Manager, said,
From the 19-second clip that started it all, to now over 20 billion uploaded videos, including music, Shorts, podcasts, and more, we’ve grown so much in just two decades.
Key Stats and Milestones
YouTube shared insights into its scale, noting:
- Over 20 million videos are uploaded daily.
- In 2024, users posted more than 100 million comments daily, with creators hearting comments from an average of 10 million viewers each day.
- Videos averaged 3.5 billion likes daily, reflecting strong community interaction.
Over 300 music videos on the platform have crossed the billion-views mark. Among the quickest to reach this milestone are:
- Hello by Adele, which achieved 1 billion views in just 88 days
- Shape of You by Ed Sheeran and Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, each hitting the mark in 97 days
- Mi Gente by J Balvin and Willy William in 103 days
- APT. by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars in 105 days
YouTube Music and YouTube Kids turn 10 in 2025. YouTube Music was codenamed Woodstock before its launch.
New Features for 2025
Mahesh highlighted upcoming updates:
- YouTube TV Multiview: In the coming weeks, YouTube TV members will be able to experiment with personalized multiview layouts for non-sports content, beginning with a select group of popular channels and gradually expanding over the following months.
- Voice Replies: After a 2024 trial with select creators, more creators will gain the ability to voice-reply to comments later in 2025.
- Ask Music: All YouTube Premium and YouTube Music users can describe their mood to create personalized radio stations on iOS and Android. Available in English in select countries, with more languages and regions planned.
- Expanded Playback Speeds: YouTube Premium mobile users can now select speeds above 2x, including 2.05x, 2.5x, 3x, and 4x.
- TV Interface Updates: This summer, smart TVs will feature improved navigation, playback controls, video quality, and faster access to comments, channel info, and subscriptions.
Hidden Tools for Users
YouTube noted several lesser-known features:
- Long-press the video player for 2x speed, lock the screen to prevent interruptions, or set a sleep timer for bedtime viewing.
- Shorts creators can connect related content, including long-form videos, livestreams, or other Shorts.
- YouTube Kids offers an “Approve content yourself” mode, allowing parents to hand-select content for their children.
- Desktop users can use keyboard shortcuts, like left/right arrows to skip 5 seconds or the spacebar to play/pause.
- Android users can hum or sing into “Song Search” on YouTube or YouTube Music to identify songs and add them to playlists.
20th Anniversary Additions
YouTube introduced temporary features to celebrate, including:
- A limited-edition logo, inspired by the 2005 original, which YouTube founder Chad Hurley designed by blending CalTrain and TV Guide elements, reflecting its Bay Area roots.
- Typing “bday” on desktop watch pages triggers a retro animation.
- A clickable “Yoodle” logo offers a surprise.
- Select videos feature birthday-themed scrubbers and like animations for one day only.
- YouTube TV provides a 48-hour birthday-themed zen channel.
- Playables users see a festive welcome screen before games like Angry Birds or 8 Ball Pool.
- Livestream viewers can send creators virtual gifts, like cake slices or party hats, available for one week.
YouTube’s 20th anniversary highlights its role as a global hub for creators and viewers.