YouTube rolled out a new, unique option feed filter that will recommend videos based on the color of their thumbnails.

YouTube filters video feed by colors  

From what 9to5Google and Lemmy users have seen, the YouTube prompt’s color choices are red, blue and green. The red filter shows thumbnails of videos with a red hue, such as Casey Neistat’s review of Apple Vision Pro, MKBHD’s video on the red Tesla Model Y and Elmo’s CNN interview. It seems like it’s pulling out thumbnails with the color selected — still based on the user’s interests.

YouTube is currently testing this feature to select Android and Apple devices. There is no statement from the company as to why they are developing such a feature. There is also no explanation of how the videos are filtered according to colors if it only scans the thumbnail or the dominant color of the videos. One thing to note is that it won’t replace the YouTube homepage either; the results of the color filter will appear on top of the app for users to check separately.

Just an aesthetic choice? 

Some users are speculating on the motivation behind this feature. Some believe it is merely an aesthetic choice, and others think it’s a way to collect data. The color filter just filters colors, not themes of videos, so it’s not clear what its real use is. However, if you’re the type to sort out content by color, then you’ll probably think it’s a cool filter. YouTube didn’t say if it’s rolling out the feature to everyone.