YouTube Kills Clips, Adds Timestamp Sharing on Phones

Felix Braun · 2026-04-17

If you've ever tried to share a specific moment in a YouTube video from your phone, you know the struggle. You'd send a link and then type "skip to 3:42" in the message. It worked, but it wasn't smooth. Now, YouTube is finally fixing that. They are officially bringing a 'share at timestamp' feature to mobile devices. At the same time, they are quietly ditching their 'Clips' feature. It's a classic trade-off: one handy tool replaces a clunky one. ### What's Changing with YouTube's Video Sharing The biggest news is that you can now share a video with a precise starting point right from your phone. When you tap the share button, you'll see a new option to set a start time. You drag the slider to the exact second you want, and the link you send will automatically start the video there. It's a small change that makes a huge difference for anyone who sends video links to friends or colleagues. No more awkward explanations in the text message. This is especially useful for professionals who use YouTube for research or training. Imagine you're watching a long product review and want to show a specific feature to your team. You just grab the timestamped link and send it. The recipient clicks and lands right on the money shot. It saves time and reduces confusion. It's the kind of feature that makes you wonder why it wasn't there all along.  ### The End of YouTube Clips On the flip side, YouTube is removing the 'Clips' feature. Clips let you cut out a short segment of a video and share it as a standalone loop. It was a neat idea, but it never really caught on with most users. The feature felt buried in the interface and required a few extra steps to use. Most people just screenshot or use third-party tools instead. - Clips are being phased out entirely on mobile and web. - Existing clips will stop working after a certain date. - The timestamp sharing feature is the replacement for most use cases. This move makes sense. YouTube is simplifying its product. Instead of maintaining two similar features (clips and timestamp sharing), they are focusing on the one that people actually use. It's a smart play for a platform that has a lot of moving parts. ### How This Affects Content Creators and Viewers For everyday viewers, this is a net positive. You lose the ability to create short loops, but you gain a much more practical way to share specific moments. For content creators, it's a bit of a mixed bag. If you relied on Clips to highlight funny or important parts of your videos, you'll need to find a workaround. But the good news is that timestamp sharing actually drives more targeted traffic to your videos. When someone clicks a timestamped link, they are more likely to watch the whole video if the content is good. In the end, this update is about making YouTube work better for the way people actually use it. We share links constantly, and now that process is a little bit smoother. It's not a flashy update, but it's one of those small quality-of-life improvements that you'll appreciate every day.