Youtube launches “Shorts” tool for short videos to compete with TikTok

The tool will allow the recording of videos of up to 15 seconds and, according to the company, a beta version will start to be available in the next days on India, where TikTok is banned.“Shorts is a new short-form video experience for creators and artists who want to record videos captivating using only their cell phones, ”said YouTube in a statement. The platform will feature familiar editing tools, such as speed controls, stopwatch, countdown, as well as a music library.

The short videos will be available on the YouTube homepage and, like TikTok, just slide your finger vertically on the screen to explore other content. The interface looks very similar to Stories, as you just hold the camera shutter button to record the clips.

“As technology advances, creators and artists can take advantage of the incredible power of mobile phones to easily create and publish high-quality content anywhere in the world,” said the vice president of Product Management at YouTube Chris Jaffe.

Shorts will be launched initially for Android devices in India, with the promise of expansion to iOS “soon”. There is still no information about the tool's arrival in other countries.