YouTube Shorts adds narration voiceovers, a popular TikTok feature

YouTube Shorts continues to compete with TikTok by adding loads of new features that are popular on the other app. Today, the Google-owned platform is rolling out a narration voiceover feature on iOS, a tool that is already often used on TikTok.

Creators use narration to add commentary on top of already recorded videos. Such content might include cooking tutorials with instructional voiceovers, live reactions to funny videos or narrative accompaniment to “day in the life” or “my morning routine”-style videos.

To use voiceovers on Shorts after recording a video, tap the checkmark button in the bottom right of the camera screen. Then, tap the voiceover button, select where you want to start your voiceover, hit record, then adjust the volume afterward if need be. Users can also undo and redo recordings to make it easier to edit.

YouTube Shorts recently added another iOS feature swiped from TikTok: the ability to reply to comments with a new video. TikTok introduced this feature in 2020, while Instagram added its own version in December.

Of course, the biggest news coming out of YouTube as of late is its expansion of its Partner Program to Shorts. For the first time, short form video creators will be able to earn ad revenue from their content. If all goes according to plan, offering creators revenue share could be YouTube’s best hope for catching up to TikTok’s short-form dominance.