Original Shorts, a $20 Payout Test, and More [October 2026]

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Since October 1, YouTube has changed which Shorts it recommends. Original videos get more reach, and channels that mostly re-upload other creators' clips get less. Additionally, YouTube is testing a $20 payment threshold and a cleanup option instead of termination for some spam violations, and it now pauses features on channels that appear hacked. US viewers can now save several custom feeds, and the YouTube mobile app got a new Home top bar, and more. Here's what you need to know.

For every algorithm change in 2026 in one place, see our YouTube algorithm 2026 hub.

Here’s where each October update stands:

Shorts Feed Favors Original Content

On October 1, YouTube started giving original Shorts more reach in the Shorts feed. Channels that mostly re-upload other creators’ videos without significant changes get less attention.

Clips from other creators still work when you add your own commentary, edits, or other changes. Minor technical edits and template changes don't make a clip yours.

What this means for creators:

• If your Shorts reuse other people’s footage, compare Shorts feed traffic in YouTube Studio for the weeks before and after October 1
• Add something of your own to every borrowed clip: a voiceover, a reaction, or an edit that tells a story
• Compilation and re-upload channels should expect lower Shorts reach, even if their videos stay monetized

YouTube Is Testing a $20 Payment Threshold

On October 26, YouTube started an experiment that lowers the minimum payment threshold from $100 to $20. For now, it covers a random group of creators in the US, India, and Indonesia, starting with October earnings. 

Creators in the test get a notification. If you prefer the old $100 threshold, you can switch back in AdSense for YouTube.

What this means for creators:

• If you’re in the test and earn less than $100 a month, you’ll get paid more often instead of waiting several months
• Check your AdSense for YouTube account for the notification before your next payment cycle

Spam Violations: A Cleanup Option Instead of Termination

But that’s not all of the features in testing! On October 29, YouTube started testing a second chance for some channels that would otherwise be terminated for violating the Spam policy. Instead of losing the channel, the owner gets a 30-day lock to fix the problem.

During those 30 days, you can:

• Edit or remove the videos that broke the rules
• Delete all your videos and keep your subscribers, handle, and YPP status
• Appeal the decision

What this means for creators:

• If your channel gets a spam termination notice, check whether YouTube offers the cleanup option before you appeal
• Spam violations are often about misleading metadata, repetitive uploads, or links, so review titles, descriptions, and tags first

YouTube Now Pauses Features on Hacked Channels

Since October 21, when YouTube detects signs that a channel was hacked, it automatically applies a temporary feature pause. Uploads, live streams, playlist changes, custom thumbnails, and visibility changes are blocked while YouTube reviews the channel. A review usually takes about 24 hours, and monetization isn’t affected.

Hackers usually change a channel’s name, upload scam streams, or make old videos private. The pause stops most of that before it reaches your subscribers.

What this means for creators:

• If features suddenly stop working, check your email and YouTube Studio for a notice about the pause before assuming a bug
• Keep your Owner account separate from day-to-day work and give your team Manager access instead. Here’s what to do if your channel was hacked

Monthly Shorts Bonus Program: An Invite-Only Pilot

On October 15, YouTube announced a pilot of a Monthly Shorts Bonus Program. Invited creators get a bonus for posting Shorts consistently, plus a possible extra payment based on views. The pilot is open only to invited YPP creators in the US, UK, Germany, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea.

A bonus can make a real difference for Shorts, because Shorts pay much less than long-form. In AIR Media-Tech data across 274 channels, Shorts RPM was only 3–14% of long-form RPM in most niches.

If you’re in one of the pilot countries and in YPP, watch for an invitation in YouTube Studio.

Custom Feeds and a New Home Top Bar for US Viewers

Custom feeds, announced at Made on YouTube in September, got a big update on October 22. Viewers in the US could already build one feed from a prompt since May. Now they can save several and switch between them, and the feeds sync across devices. Free accounts can save 3 feeds, and Premium accounts can save 8. It works for signed-in viewers in the US aged 13+, in English, with search history turned on.

The Home top bar in the mobile app changed too. It now has Live, Music, and Movies & TV feeds, and “Subs” replaces the Subscriptions tab.

What this means for creators:

• Viewers now describe the videos they want in their own words, so clear titles and descriptions about the actual topic of the video matter more
• If you stream, the new Live feed on Home is another place for your streams to show up

Ask YouTube Expands Across Devices

Ask YouTube, the conversational search feature, became available to US viewers on web, mobile, and TV on October 12. On October 15, YouTube also started testing Ask YouTube previews right in standard search results for some signed-in desktop users in the US searching in English.

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Follow us on @airmediatech to take advantage of new features first!

YouTube Shopping: Flat Fees, Recommendations, and New Analytics

YouTube added three tools for affiliate creators in October:

• Affiliate campaigns with flat fees and bonuses (October 15). Brands run time-limited campaigns in the Shopping Hub. Briefs aren’t binding, and brands don’t pre-approve your videos.
• Product recommendations (October 26). A personalized shelf in the Shopping Hub shows products with estimated commissions, plus a Saved tab.
• Upgraded Shopping analytics (October 5). Affiliate earnings and audience trends get more detail in YouTube Studio on mobile and desktop.

Amazon product tagging also reached more countries. The Help Center now lists Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Saudi Arabia, the UK, the US, and the UAE.

More YouTube Updates in October

• AI labels for music. Since October 14, YouTube Music labels songs made primarily with generative AI. The labels will also come to the main YouTube app.
• Members-only Shorts series episodes. Shorts series (seasons and episodes) are live, and YouTube says members-only episodes on mobile arrive in the coming weeks.
• Voice samples in likeness detection. Some creators can now record a speaking voice sample. Voice matches come “in the near future.”
• More public-interest content can earn ad revenue. YouTube updated its advertiser-friendly guidelines so some public-interest content, like congressional proceedings, is eligible for ads.

Instagram Updates: 90-Minute Horizontal Videos and New Editing Tools

Features: long horizontal videos. On October 26, Adam Mosseri announced a test of horizontal videos up to 90 minutes for selected creators in the US, after a test in Brazil. “Clips as Reels” lets a creator link up to 8 Reels to one long video, so short clips lead viewers to the full version. There’s no revenue share yet. Instagram pays some creators for Features content directly and says it’s looking at ways to pay long-form creators.

Edits app update. On October 15, Instagram’s Edits app added Kits to save and reuse your editing styles, clickable links on audio, topics your followers are interested in, and 50 new effects.

Use a Reel as a reference. Also on October 15, Instagram let creators open a Reel inside the camera while recording their own version. Tap the three-dot menu on a Reel under 90 seconds and choose “Use as reference.”

Google Meet Now Translates Speech Into 63 Languages

On October 22, Google expanded real-time speech translation in Google Meet to 63 languages. Meet detects which language someone is speaking, even if they switch mid-sentence, and each participant hears it in their own language. It’s available on paid Workspace plans and Google AI Pro and Ultra, with up to 90 minutes per meeting on base plans.

It doesn’t work for live streams or recordings, so it won’t translate your content. It helps with the calls around it: a brand deal with a sponsor from another country, a collab with a creator who doesn’t speak your language, or a podcast guest interview you prepare in advance. To reach viewers in other languages, you still need dubbed audio tracks. Here’s how YouTube’s auto dubbing compares with professional dubbing.

What to Do After October’s Updates

• If your Shorts reuse other creators’ footage, check Shorts feed traffic since October 1 and add your own commentary or edits to every borrowed clip
• Look in AdSense for YouTube for a notice about the $20 payment threshold test
• If you get a spam termination notice, check for the cleanup option before you appeal
• Give your team Manager access instead of sharing the Owner account, and know what a hacked-channel feature pause looks like
• In a pilot country and in YPP? Watch YouTube Studio for a Shorts Bonus invitation
• Write titles and descriptions that say exactly what the video is about, so custom feeds and Ask YouTube can match it to viewer prompts
• Affiliate creators: browse flat-fee campaigns and the new product recommendations in the Shopping Hub
• Testing long-form on Instagram? Link your Reels to the full video with Clips as Reels once you get access
• Talking to a sponsor or collab partner who speaks another language? Turn on speech translation in Google Meet for the call