YouTube stops recommending videos when signed out of Google ( www.bleepingcomputer.com )

YouTube is no longer showing recommended videos to users logged out of a Google account or using Incognito mode, making people concerned they are being bullied into always being signed into the service.

This change, which is now rolling out, shows a simple YouTube homepage without any videos or tips on what to watch.

As noted by some on X, users who have cleaned their search and watch history or turned off their history settings also see no suggestions when they're logged in.
Some people think YouTube is being pushy about this, trying to make users turn on their history settings.

deafboy ,
@deafboy@lemmy.world avatar

making people concerned they are being bullied into always being signed into the service

So, the majority WANTS to see the political propaganda, endless livestream of chill music to relax and study to, a bunch of spoiled kids making faces, and something indistinguishably small being pointed at by a huge red arrow?

manuallybreathing ,

they also dont recommend anything on your homepage when you're signed in if you don't have your watch history turned on (as if they're not tracking it anyway)

lol, who cares

paysrenttobirds ,

Service to humanity.

harsh3466 ,

I noticed this a few days ago or so and I was delighted by it. I never sign in to YouTube and hated the garbage recommendations on the homepage.

Unyieldingly ,

Not a Bug.

MystikIncarnate ,

This is more of a feature than a problem IMO.

Most services (like meta/Facebook/Instagram/anything owned by zuck', the service formerly known as Twitter....) are going to a model of: you need an account to even see anything posted publicly.

Not just extremely limited information like LinkedIn, like, instant redirect to "you need to be logged in to see this" or simply a login page.

At least you can still find something you want to see, and go and watch it... With ads and everything, sure, but the information is there and accessible.

BonesOfTheMoon ,

That's fine, all the videos they suggest suck anyway. No I don't want to watch Madonna's Like a Virgin video when I've been watching Letterkenny clips, YouTube.

inclementimmigrant ,

Is that a problem?? I mean I leave myself logged in all the time because I use google music and I absolutely hate their recommended videos and the algorithms behind it.

No fucking google I don't want to watch some douche canoe movie reviewer complaining about the latest movie being woke just because I watched some other movie critic that's actually thoughtful and insightful or at least funny to me without delving into sounding like a dog with the constant "woke...woke woke...woke woke woke woke".

author_shrubs ,

This is amazing. I saw YouTube only showing a search bar when I went there, and it was liberating. I could search and watch the video on the topic I wanted, then promptly leave. Without all the Hot and recommend shit being shoved down my throat.

Draedron ,

You know you can always just search for stuff without checking the recommended section right? Its helpful to discover new channels though

MadBigote ,

Except the algorithm has been horrible for, like..., five years maybe?

A_Random_Idiot ,
@A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world avatar

yeah. Its constantly trying to force right wing bullshit down my throat, because like once a month I'll watch a video about heavy machinery or camping or something.

bitdweller ,

Exactly! I love this new feature :)

mPony ,

YouTube without suggestions? You mean how it was back in the early days?? I would LOVE that.

cyberic ,
@cyberic@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

You can use the Unhook extension to do this right now on at least Firefox and Chrome.

kokesh ,
@kokesh@lemmy.world avatar

Wouldn't the recommendations be crap anyway? When they don't know your watch history?

SuperSaiyanSwag ,

I was logged out the other day without realizing and for the first time I saw Mr. Beast and other similar content being recommended

jaschen ,

Their algorithm sucks. I don't want to see a how-to video I saw 12 years ago. It's there nothing else on the internet?!?!

MystikIncarnate ,

I see a lot of recommendations for videos from channels I watch that are very old and I've seen them before. I frequently submit feedback that I've seen it and I don't want to rewatch something I've seen before (unless I'm specifically searching for it).

Also, if I jump into my history feed, and go back as far as I can, I eventually hit the end, and I know I've watched more than wherever the end is. So the history falls off eventually. Frustrating.

jaschen ,

I too also submit feedback to say that I have seen these videos before. I have even had a video auto play the same video I just watch prior to the one I'm watching. Honestly, what are they doing?

Rye ,
@Rye@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

YouTube definitely not bullying users into staying signed it so that Google can aggregate more data about you /s

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

I moved to a newpipe fork about a year ago. I stopped using their suggestions altogether. I'm not going to lie it was a couple of months before I was able to get used to it. I've come to believe that having YouTube on permanent autoplay based on their algorithmic calculations of what I'd want to see is not entirely healthy for me.

At current, once I've watched everything from my chosen creators for the day. That's it I'm done, I go and find something more useful to do.

Now I see only the shows from my chosen creators,and if one of those guys recommends a different creator that they enjoy I'll usually throw a follow in that direction. Very organic very much not in someone's pocket. I've avoided TikTok like the plague. I think that, as much as possible, no companies financial statement should have a serious impact over my content consumption.

Tum ,

which fork of new pipe are you using? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

Tubular, it's The same as new pipe plus sponsor block but it's currently active.

Icaria ,

You search for one thing and it starts showing recommendations.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing. Youtube's old default homepage would show scam and content mill recommendations.

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