YouTube launches mobile-focused Shorts in India

YouTube has launched YouTube Shorts, a new format aimed at creators of short mobile phone videos of 15 seconds or less, with a beta trial in India.

YouTube said it was launching an early version of the product with a few creation tools to test the concept.

Creation tools include a multi-segment camera feature to enable creators to string multiple video clips together, a record with music feature accompanied by a library of songs to use, speed controls to give creators more flexibility and a timer and countdown to enabole them to record videos hands-free.

YouTube has launched a prominent new position for the create icon on the Android mobile platform, with plans to expand to iOS devices and other countries soon.

The Google-owned video site is also launching a new watch feature that enables users to swipe vertically from one video to the next, as well as a discovery feature for other similar videos.