YouTube Should Create a Separate App for Shorts: Concerns Over Platform Impact

YouTube is currently facing significant criticism regarding its short-form video feature, known as Shorts. Users are increasingly urging the platform to consider launching Shorts as a standalone application. Detractors claim that this TikTok-inspired functionality has overwhelmed the user experience on the main site, complicating the task of finding full-length videos.

Introduced in 2021, YouTube Shorts was developed as Google’s response to the burgeoning popularity of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels. This feature has since become a dominant presence on the YouTube homepage, influencing search results and recommendations—an aspect that many users find problematic.

A Rising Demand for Separation

On July 5, a Twitter user known as Lakshya Lark sparked a discussion when he tweeted, “YouTube should’ve made Shorts its own app. It’s ruined the YouTube experience, every search is flooded with Shorts now.” He expressed that a permanent filter to eliminate Shorts from search results would be more user-friendly than the current requirement to adjust settings constantly.

This YouTube filter should be permanent. It’s the only way to escape Shorts and actually find real videos.pic.twitter.com/So4eeE0xnE

— Lakshya Lark (@lakshyalark) July 5, 2025

This sentiment quickly gained traction after being shared on the r/YouTube subreddit, where it garnered over 100, 000 upvotes and numerous comments resonating with Lark’s concerns. One user observed, “Searching for something even vaguely niche results in an avalanche of irrelevant Shorts.” Another added frustration over the algorithm’s tendency to prioritize suggestions marked as ‘YOU MIGHT LIKE IT, ’ leading to confusion and disappointment.

Many community members argue that the proliferation of Shorts hampers the unique appeal of YouTube, which has typically centered around long-form, in-depth content. As one user remarked, “YouTube is one platform where I seek full-length videos, not Shorts.” This discontent has even motivated some users to discontinue their Premium subscriptions, citing the overwhelming presence of Shorts as a primary reason for their decision.

What are your thoughts on this? by u/ad_gar55 in r/youtube

One user commented, “This is one of the three main reasons I canceled my subscription and sought alternative sources.”YouTube has not officially addressed the increasingly vociferous calls for a separate Shorts application, yet this backlash points to a larger conversation about user preferences and the platform’s future direction.

In a related development, YouTube has begun displaying ads on Shorts for those who subscribe to the newly introduced YouTube Premium Lite, a more affordable version of the original Premium service. Additionally, Google has faced criticism for incorporating controversial features, including AI-generated content summaries, into YouTube—a function that has similarly attracted scrutiny within Google Search.

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