YouTube Rolls Out Its First Yearly Recap

YouTube has introduced its first-ever annual Recap feature, giving viewers a personalised look at the way they’ve used the platform over the past year. This new addition brings together a range of viewing insights in one place, similar to other popular year-end summaries seen across digital platforms.

The feature has already gone live for users in North America, and YouTube has confirmed that it will reach audiences around the world within the week. This marks the first time the company has created a year-end experience that covers both general YouTube viewing and YouTube Music activity.

Once available, the Recap can be accessed straight from the homepage or through the “You” section on both mobile devices and desktop browsers. YouTube has designed the feature to be easy to find, whether users are casually browsing or intentionally checking their stats.

The Recap pulls information directly from each person’s watch history and arranges it into a set of visual cards. Up to twelve cards may appear, depending on how much someone watched throughout the year. These cards highlight top channels, favourite topics, and how viewing habits changed over time.

One of the standout elements of the Recap is the personality feature. Based on viewing patterns, YouTube assigns users a personality type that reflects their interests and behaviour on the platform. This adds an interactive twist, making the round-up feel more personalised and fun.

The personality categories include labels such as Adventurer, Skill Builder, Creative Spirit, Sunshiner, Wonder Seeker, Connector, Philosopher, and Dreamer. Each one represents a different style of exploration and engagement on YouTube.

YouTube also shared some early observations from its data. According to the company, Sunshiner, Wonder Seeker, and Connector were the most common types among users this year. Meanwhile, Philosopher and Dreamer appeared far less frequently.

For people who use YouTube Music or listen to music directly on YouTube, extra cards are included inside the Recap. These highlight the year’s most-played artists and songs, giving music fans a more complete picture of their listening trends.

Users who want even more detail about their music habits can look to the YouTube Music app, where they’ll find additional information. This includes top genres, popular playlists, and listening moments from podcasts or content in other languages.

Behind the scenes, YouTube revealed that the development of the Recap took significant testing and refinement. The company ran nine rounds of user feedback sessions to understand what people wanted and reviewed more than fifty different design concepts before settling on the final version.

In an accompanying video, members of the YouTube team explained how they used Google’s Gemini technology to analyse complex viewing patterns. Gemini helped structure the data so that the Recap would be clear, logical, and visually appealing for users.

This new feature also matters from a wider platform perspective. It positions YouTube alongside other major services that offer end-of-year summaries, giving viewers something engaging to share online. For many users, it becomes a fun way to look back at the content that shaped their year.

Creators may also benefit from the Recap, as their channels might appear in viewers’ top lists. When people share their cards on social media, it can help boost visibility for those channels, especially during the busy holiday season when online activity tends to rise.

For now, viewers in North America can already explore their Recap. Users in other countries won’t have to wait long, as YouTube plans to make the feature available globally throughout the week. Once rolled out, anyone with a YouTube account will be able to see their personalised summary.

Overall, YouTube’s first annual Recap brings a fresh and more interactive way for people to reflect on the content they enjoy, giving both viewers and creators another reason to stay connected with the platform.