Let’s face it — we love scrolling through videos. Maybe you’re OK with what YouTube feeds you, maybe you’re not. Either way, you’ve now got more control over it.
YouTube this week added a feature to the mobile app home page that enables you to create your own video feeds for whatever topics you want. The feed helps you home in on the subjects that appeal to you instead of necessarily relying on the algorithm. The custom feed option appears as a plus sign on the horizontal menu at the top of the app’s home screen.
YouTube said in its announcement that it wants to help users “dive straight into” their favorite content. “We know that viewers come to YouTube with incredibly unique interests, moods, topics to explore, and favorite ways to watch,” the YouTube team said.
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The horizontal menu is also new. It includes tabs for your custom feeds, subscribed channels, music and live streams. There’s also a Music & TV button for people who subscribe to YouTube TV or Primetime Channels.
To see it for yourself, go to the app’s home screen on your phone. At the top, you’ll see the menu. If you click on Subs, you’ll see your subscribed channels. The Music tab will show videos from your favorite artists, and the Live button will show livestreams from your favorite creators. The More button shows a menu of YouTube features.
Trying out the new YouTube settings
But the most intriguing addition was the custom feed feature, and I gave it a go. On the YouTube home screen menu, I clicked on the plus sign. Then, under the “Add a custom feed for any topic or mood,” I typed San Francisco 49ers, and voila, a new tab appeared on the menu — SF 49ers. I also added a feed for the 2026 midterm elections. Both of those feeds now appear in the menu.
You can also modify or delete a feed. If you click into a feed, you’ll see buttons at the top to edit the prompt, rename the feed or delete the feed.
I decided to modify my 49ers feed. Since I’m also a fan of the Golden State Warriors NBA team, I changed the feed topic to include both the 49ers and the Warriors. That feed then showed videos for both teams.
For non-Premium users, you get three feeds. You get up to eight if you subscribe to YouTube Premium ($9 per month).
The custom feed feature was already available on desktop — added by YouTube last month. It’s not yet available on tablets, and YouTube owner Google hasn’t said when it will be.
You must be 13 or older to get the custom feeds feature, and you also must have both watch and search history enabled.