YouTube Updates: Likeness Detection, Wellbeing Tools, and Creator Rehabilitation Program [October 2025]

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October brings us a lot of changes. This month, YouTube focuses on expanding the TV features, clears the stage for a new safety feature, adds on Advanced Features, and introduces a new UI.

TikTok also has a lot of updates in store for both advertisers and users. 

Let’s break it all down so you can adapt fast and catch the next wave of opportunity! 

Ask Studio: New Updates 

Algorithms are tricky, we all know that. Analytics, even more so. But now there’s a bot that can explain it all!

Ask Studio is YouTube’s newest AI-powered assistant, designed to help creators decode performance data directly inside YouTube Studio. It’s not ChatGPT, it’s a YouTube-native bot that understands your channel data.

Here’s what it’s capable of currently:

• Figuring out why your video didn’t take off
• Analyzing comments to find what your audience really cares about
• Summarizing key metrics from your dashboard
• Suggesting new video ideas based on your best performers

You can access Ask Studio via a new button in Studio, where it replies like a chat assistant, but with direct access to your analytics.

Currently available only in English and for U.S. creators, with more regions and languages coming soon.

Likeness Detection by YouTube

Identity protection is entering a new era. YouTube is rolling out AI-based likeness detection to combat fakes, plagiarism, and unauthorized reuploads.

The new Likeness Detection Tool allows creators to:

• Upload your photo + ID for verification
• Detect videos featuring your face or likeness
• Send takedown requests for unauthorized or AI-generated videos

Verification via face scan and ID will be required (data is stored securely by Google). The system is based on entity recognition AI, now being tested with select creators in the Partner Program.

False positives are possible, but YouTube calls this a “foundational step” toward protecting creators’ identities and preventing deepfake misuse. The rollout to all Partner Program members is expected soon. 

Follow us on Instagram to get updates the moment they drop. We unpack everything there first.

Improving YouTube’s Look and Feel

Finally, YouTube rolled out 10 visual and usability updates, including:

• Updated player icons and smoother navigation
• New animated category-based Like effects (Music videos → musical notes; sports videos → flying ball effects)
• Threaded comments, which are a new three-level reply structure that makes conversations clearer and easier to follow 
• 30-second voice replies from the YouTube App or Studio Mobile

Streaming: Public to Members

Creators can now start a public stream and seamlessly switch it to members-only mode without restarting.

This feature encourages live viewers to join your Memberships mid-stream for exclusive access.

Courses

Creators with Advanced Features can now create Courses: structured educational playlists with quizzes, badges, and analytics, all in one place. Courses will appear both on your channel and in the viewer’s Library tab.

Media Kit in YouTube Studio

Creators in the Partner Program can now generate a Media Kit PDF directly from Studio, complete with demographics, interests, retention data, and engagement insights.

Looking for brand deals?

Use a free pin.top platform, it helps you create a spotless store for brands, syncing analytics from YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram automatically. No more screenshots or manual reports.

Channeling the TV Experience

First impressions matter, especially on the big screen.

YouTube is increasing the thumbnail file size limit from 2MB to 50MB, enabling 4K-resolution thumbnails that pop on TVs.

In addition, YouTube is testing AI-powered video upscaling that automatically enhances older uploads below 1080p, upgrading them to HD (and soon 4K).

Creators can opt out anytime, and both the original and enhanced versions will remain available to viewers.

Which is to say, YouTube is doubling down on the living-room experience.

• Immersive Channel Previews: Viewers can flip through channel previews directly on the TV homepage.
• “Shows” Tab: Helps creators organize content into binge-friendly collections.
• Contextual TV Search: When viewers search from your channel page, your content is now prioritized in results.

Second Chances: Creator Rehabilitation Program

YouTube has launched a pilot program offering certain previously terminated creators the opportunity to rebuild their presence.

The initiative recognizes creators’ potential for redemption and aims to reintegrate them into the platform.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Tools

YouTube and the American Psychological Association (APA) are expanding their collaboration with a new video series offering parents and teens practical tools for healthy online habits and meaningful digital conversations.

In select countries (U.S., France, Mexico, Canada, and more), searches for terms like depression or ADHD will now display expert-vetted video shelves from trusted health sources. 

New AI-Powered Tools to Make Creation Easier on TikTok

TikTok creators are getting an extra boost.

At the TikTok U.S. Creator Summit, the platform announced a new wave of AI-powered tools designed to streamline content creation, editing, and monetization.

Smart Split: AI Editing, Simplified

Editing long videos for short-form content has always been a pain point for creators. Smart Split, a new AI-powered editing tool, makes that process effortless.

Here’s how it works:

• Automatic Clipping: Upload a long video (1+ minute), and Smart Split automatically cuts it into multiple short clips ready for TikTok.
• Smart Framing: The AI reframes wide shots into a vertical format for mobile.
• Auto Captions & Transcripts: Each clip is captioned and transcribed instantly.
• Flexible Lengths: TikTok can auto-select clip length or let you define it.

Available globally on TikTok Studio Web.

AI Outline: Jumpstart Your Creative Process

Coming up with ideas just got easier. AI Outline helps creators brainstorm and structure their content by generating:

• Titles
• Hooks
• Hashtags
• Video Outlines

You can input a prompt or select a trending topic via Creator Search Insights. The AI then creates a six-part video structure that you can customize, refine the hook, edit the title, adjust the flow, and record in your own tone.

Currently available to creators 18+ in the U.S., Canada, and select markets, with more regions rolling out soon.

Subscription Update: Earn Up to 90% Revenue Share

Monetization just got a major upgrade. TikTok’s Subscription product now allows creators to earn up to 90% of profit payouts through a new revenue-sharing structure. Here’s the breakdown:

• Base Share: 70% after fees.
• Bonus Reward: Earn an extra 20% monthly if you meet these requirements:
• 10K followers
• 100K views in the last month
• 3+ subscriber-only videos uploaded in the last month

That means top-performing creators can now earn up to 90% of the total revenue.

Subscriptions include:

• Special badges
• Exclusive posts
• Chat features
• Subscriber-only content

TikTok for Advertisers: Smarter Automation

At Advertising Week New York 2025, TikTok also announced a series of updates to its automation and measurement tools for advertisers.

“TikTok is building automation you can customize and trust,” said David Kaufman, Head of Product and Client Solutions for North America.

The updates center around TikTok’s Smart+, Symphony Automation, and GMV Max ecosystems, designed to make campaign management faster.

Smart+: Automation You Can Fine-Tune

Advertisers can now move fluidly between manual, partial, or full automation, depending on their campaign needs. Key upgrades include:

• Unified Buying Experience: One workflow for all ad types.
• Precision Controls: Adjust targeting, creative, and budget module-by-module.
• Custom Measurement: Split-test variations with granular performance data.
• Symphony Integration: Access TikTok-first creative tools inside Smart+.

Symphony Automation: Creative Optimization

TikTok’s Symphony suite is evolving to help advertisers generate and refine creative content faster using Gen AI. New features include:

• Recommended Creatives: AI suggests ad variants based on performance predictions.
• Automatic Enhancements: Resize, refresh, translate, or dub your existing content with Gen AI.
• Quality Boosts: Improve video and image sharpness automatically for ad-ready delivery.

Together, Smart+ and Symphony allow advertisers to cut production time while increasing creative performance, helping brands stay native to TikTok’s visual and cultural language.

GMV Max: Creative Insights for E-Commerce Growth

For sellers and brands, TikTok’s GMV Max now features a Creative Hub, a centralized dashboard offering granular insight into:

• Which creatives and creators drive the most sales
• Performance across campaigns, products, and influencer partnerships
• Real-time reporting for optimizing ad spend

This update arrives just in time for the holiday shopping season, giving advertisers new ways to maximize ROI.

Measuring Real Impact: Attribution Upgrades

TikTok’s influence stretches beyond its own platform — and now, advertisers can measure it better than ever. New additions to TikTok’s Attribution Portfolio include:

• Third-Party Optimization
• Assisted Conversions

TikTok now integrates directly with Google Analytics, allowing marketers to view TikTok’s impact within tools they already use.

• Early tests show 54% higher conversions and 27% lower CPA when optimized via TikTok’s automation with GA tracking.

TikTok’s new Assisted Conversion model reveals how TikTok primes users for purchases even if the final conversion happens elsewhere.

In fact, 1 in 4 TikTok-attributed conversions occur after a user views an ad, then goes directly to a brand’s website to buy the same day, actions that would otherwise go untracked.

This Month’s YouTube Checklist

1. Try Ask Studio - analyze your channel’s performance with AI insights.
2. Enable Likeness Detection once available to protect your identity.
3. Create your Media Kit in Studio for upcoming brand deals.
4. Experiment with Courses and organize your educational content.
5. Test member-only live streams for deeper community engagement.
6. Upload 4K thumbnails and try YouTube’s new upscaling feature.
7. Use AI shopping tags to monetize products naturally.

Need Expert Help Adapting?

Staying ahead of YouTube’s rapid evolution requires more than updates. With AIR Media-Tech, we help creators:

• Decode new features and apply them effectively
• Build monetization systems that actually scale
• Localize and optimize content for global audiences

Ready to grow faster and smarter?

👉 Let’s make your next move count.