YouTube Adds Custom Video Feeds to Its Mobile App: How to Create Your Own

YouTube is giving users more control over the videos they watch with a new feature that lets them create custom video feeds based on their favorite topics, interests, and moods. The feature is arriving in the YouTube mobile app, making it easier to find relevant content without relying entirely on the platform’s usual recommendation feed.

The new option allows viewers to add dedicated topics to the horizontal menu at the top of the YouTube home screen. Whether you enjoy sports, gaming, technology, music, or news, you can create a personalized feed designed around the subjects you want to explore.

According to YouTube’s announcement, the goal is to help viewers jump directly into the content that interests them. The update also introduces a refreshed navigation menu with shortcuts to subscriptions, music, live streams, and other viewing options.

What Are YouTube Custom Video Feeds?

YouTube’s custom feeds let users create separate video collections for specific topics. Instead of searching for the same subject repeatedly or depending solely on the main recommendation page, viewers can create a dedicated feed for an interest.

For example, a football fan could create a feed for their favorite team, while a technology enthusiast could set up another for smartphone launches, AI developments, or gadget reviews.

Once created, each feed appears as a separate tab in the menu at the top of the mobile app’s home screen. Selecting a tab brings up videos related to the chosen topic.

The feature gives users a more organized way to explore content and switch between different interests.

YouTube Introduces a New Home Screen Menu

Alongside custom feeds, YouTube has introduced a horizontal navigation menu designed to make popular content categories easier to access.

The menu includes several options:

• Custom Feeds: Open personalized video feeds created around specific topics.
• Subscriptions: Find videos from channels you follow.
• Music: Explore videos from your favorite artists and music-related content.
• Live: Discover livestreams from creators.
• More: Access additional YouTube features.

Eligible users may also see a Music & TV option for services such as YouTube TV and Primetime Channels, depending on their subscriptions and availability.

The updated menu is intended to make it easier to navigate different types of content directly from the home screen.

How to Create a Custom Feed on YouTube

Creating a custom video feed is straightforward. Follow these steps in the YouTube mobile app:

1. Open the YouTube app on your phone.
2. Go to the Home screen.
3. Find the horizontal menu at the top of the screen.
4. Tap the plus (+) icon.
5. Enter a topic, interest, or mood for your new feed.
6. Create the feed and select its tab to explore related videos.

For example, you could enter topics such as Android phones, gaming news, football, cooking, or travel. YouTube will then display videos related to the topic you selected.

The feature can be particularly useful for viewers who follow several unrelated interests and want a quicker way to switch between them.

How to Edit or Delete a YouTube Custom Feed

YouTube also allows users to change their custom feeds after creating them.

Open the feed you want to modify and look for the available management options. These include editing the topic prompt, renaming the feed, or deleting it.

This means you do not necessarily need to create a new feed whenever your interests change.

For instance, you could update a sports feed to cover two teams instead of one. Similarly, a technology feed could be adjusted to include smartphones, apps, and AI news.

These options make the feature more flexible for users whose viewing preferences change over time.

How Many Custom Feeds Can You Create?

According to the reported feature limits, the number of custom feeds depends on your YouTube subscription.

YouTube Premium subscribers can therefore create more dedicated feeds than users on the free plan.

However, users should check the options available in their own accounts because feature availability and limits may change as YouTube updates the service.

Is YouTube Custom Feeds Available on Desktop and Tablets?

The custom-feed feature was already available on desktop before its reported rollout to mobile devices. The mobile update brings the functionality to users who primarily watch videos on their phones.

At the time described in the original report, YouTube had not announced when custom feeds would arrive on tablets.

Availability may also vary by account or rollout stage, so some users might not immediately see the plus icon in their mobile app.

If the feature is missing, check whether the YouTube app has an available update and look for further announcements from YouTube.

Why YouTube's Custom Feeds Matter

YouTube's recommendation system has traditionally played a major role in deciding which videos appear on the home page. Custom feeds give viewers another way to organize their viewing around topics they specifically choose.

The feature could help users find relevant videos more quickly, particularly when they want to follow a particular sport, creator category, technology trend, or news topic.

It does not necessarily replace YouTube's recommendation algorithm. Instead, it provides an additional way to explore content and gives users more direct control over how they access their interests.

For regular YouTube viewers, the biggest benefit is convenience: separate feeds can reduce the need to repeatedly search for familiar topics.

Final Thoughts

YouTube's custom video feeds introduce a practical way to personalize the mobile viewing experience. Users can create topic-based feeds, access them from the home screen, and edit or remove them whenever their interests change.

With up to three feeds for free accounts and up to eight for Premium subscribers, the feature offers an additional way to organize videos without depending entirely on the standard home-page recommendations.

If the option is available in your YouTube app, creating a few feeds around your favorite topics could make discovering relevant videos faster and easier.