Pages / #youtube / #shorts

YouTube Shorts recommendations

YouTube Shorts recommendations fill the swipeable Shorts feed, where people choose by swiping instead of clicking, so staying past the first seconds is the signal that counts.

1 version

5 sections 7 versions kept 1 owner changed 11 Oct 2026

History

Swipe simulatorInteractive

Where it runs: The Shorts feed
Key creator metric: Stayed to watch past the first seconds
Views counted from: First play, since 31 Mar 2025
Partner pay based on: Engaged Shorts views
Max Short length: 3 minutes

In words

Swiped, not clicked

4/4

The Shorts player is a stream of vertical videos, personalized to what YouTube thinks you want to see next ¹. Shorts lead Todd Sherman said that unlike long-form, where people pick a video, Shorts are found by swiping through a feed, so they are measured differently ². Creators see one number for this: the share of times viewers stayed to watch past the first seconds, introduced as viewed versus swiped away ³².

4 of 4 quotes found in their sources

How YouTube recommendations work (YouTube Help) support.google.com The Shorts Feed is personalized to reflect what we think you want to see next. Quote found in the source
YouTube Explains How Shorts Algorithm Works (Search Engine Journal, August 2023) searchenginejournal.com Unlike long-form videos where people actively select a video to watch, Shorts viewers often discover content by swiping through a feed. Quote found in the source
Understand your YouTube content performance (YouTube Help) support.google.com The percentage of times viewers stayed to watch past the initial seconds of a Short. Quote found in the source
YouTube Explains How Shorts Algorithm Works (Search Engine Journal, August 2023) searchenginejournal.com A new metric in YouTube Analytics shows the percentage of times a Short is viewed versus swiped away Quote found in the source

What counts as a view

3/3

Since 31 March 2025 a Shorts view counts every time a Short starts to play or replay, with no minimum watch time ¹. The old count lives on as engaged views, and Partner Program pay still uses engaged Shorts views ¹. From 24 August 2026 YouTube counts views the moment any video starts, Shorts, long-form and live ².

3 of 3 quotes found in their sources

Get started creating YouTube Shorts (YouTube Help) support.google.com Views will count the number of times a Short starts to play or replay, with no minimum watch time requirement. Quote found in the source
Get started creating YouTube Shorts (YouTube Help) support.google.com They will both be based on "Engaged Shorts views." Quote found in the source
Understand your YouTube content performance (YouTube Help) support.google.com views are counted the moment a video starts to play across all formats, including Shorts, long-form videos (VOD), and live streams Quote found in the source

What Shorts shares with long-form

3/3

Both systems aim to get people videos they value, Sherman said ¹, and YouTube's help lists the Shorts player among the places its one recommendation system works, with the same signals such as likes, dislikes and satisfaction surveys ². A new Short may get a few hundred or thousand views and then stall; Sherman called those early views exploratory, the system looking for an audience ¹. See YouTube recommendations and TikTok For You feed.