More and more YouTube users see the “Try searching to get started” message when they open the YouTube website. Usually, YouTube displays a list of recommended videos when users launch the site. What is displayed there depends on whether you are signed-in or not.
If you are signed-in, you see recommendations based on past searches, played videos, and also subscriptions. Users who are not signed-in see general recommendations instead.
It appears that Google is changing the YouTube experience for anonymous users. These see the aforementioned message when they load YouTube in a web browser.
In other words, YouTube suggests not a single video for users who are not signed in to the site.
While YouTube suggests to search for videos to help it generate a feed of recommended videos, it does not appear to work that way at the time of writing.
Even if you run searches and play videos, YouTube continues to show the message on its frontpage.
Some users may also see “Your YouTube history is off” instead, even though they are signed out.
A click on the update setting button opens the personalization settings & cookie page on YouTube. While it is possible to enable the YouTube history there, even if you are not signed in, it does not seem to have an effect.
YouTube displays the try searching to get started message after confirmation on the page.
The meaning of “Try searching to get started”
Google published no confirmation of the change at this point. It is clear that logged out users are affected by this.
It is another option to stop binging so much on YouTube, but not that helpful for users who want to see recommendations.
Google is already being criticized on Twitter, Reddit, and other sites for the change. The main point of criticism is that it appears that Google is pushing users to signing in to continue getting video recommendations.
Recommendations are also not shown in private browsing windows. It is unclear if this is an error on YouTube’s part or a deliberate rollout of the feature.
Since the proposed action, “searching”, does nothing at the time, it looks more like an error. Still, it is possible that this is the new default for users who are not signed-in to the site.
Closing Words
There is a good chance that logged out YouTube users will watch less content on the site. The constant barrage of recommendations stops, which leaves manual searches and related videos as the only option of exploration.
Google will likely post an official statement at one point. For now, it looks like a half-baked implementation of the change.