YouTube discontinues the Clips feature for regular users, affecting side earnings, while reintroducing timestamp sharing from mobile apps. Creators can still use Clips via YouTube Studio.
© E. Vartanyan
YouTube is continuing to evolve its approach to video and user tools. The company has announced it will discontinue the Clips feature for regular users, while simultaneously reintroducing another useful option—the ability to share videos with a specific timestamp directly from the mobile app.
The timestamp-sharing feature is once again available on smartphones. When sending a link, users can specify an exact moment in the video so the recipient jumps straight to that point. Previously, this capability existed only in the web version; it had been introduced in mobile apps before but was later removed without explanation.
Against this backdrop, YouTube has made a more controversial decision—to disable the Clips creation feature for users. It had allowed them to cut short video segments up to a minute long and publish them separately, which was actively used for content distribution. Discontinuing this function will impact so-called "side earnings," where users made money by publishing clips of others' videos. Some services promised income exceeding $1,000 per month for such activity, making the format quite popular.
However, the feature won't disappear entirely—creators themselves will still be able to make clips via YouTube Studio. Moreover, the platform plans to implement automatic clip generation from Shorts, strengthening its control over content and shifting tools more toward creators.