YouTube has rolled out its first personalised “Recap” experience for the main platform, offering users a consolidated view of their viewing habits for 2025. The feature, launched initially in North America on December 2, is now being made available to users in India and other regions.
While YouTube Music listeners have received annual Recap summaries for the past few years, this is the first time the core YouTube app is presenting a year-end highlight reel for video viewing. According to the company, the feature is designed to surface users’ most-watched genres, channels and interests, built from their watch history. YouTube says the project went through extensive prototyping, including multiple rounds of testing and dozens of concept versions.
Users can access Recap by signing in on the YouTube app or desktop site and navigating to the “You” tab, where a “Your Recap is here” prompt appears. The summary is also available directly at youtube.com/Recap.
Each Recap includes a set of interactive cards that outline top categories, viewing patterns and a timeline of how user preferences have shifted through the year. The experience also introduces “watch personalities” that categorise users based on their consumption patterns. These range from upbeat or curiosity-driven viewing styles to more niche categories such as introspective or exploratory behaviour.
For users who stream music on YouTube, the Recap integrates data from both YouTube and YouTube Music to present top artists and songs from 2025, creating a combined overview of audio and video trends.
Alongside individual summaries, YouTube is publishing broader trend lists covering the platform’s most popular creators, podcasts and songs of the year. These charts offer a wider picture of cultural activity and consumption on the platform and are expected to drive engagement as users compare their Recap insights with YouTube’s global rankings.
The introduction of Recap aligns YouTube with other platforms that have established end-of-year formats, including Spotify’s Wrapped and TikTok’s annual reviews. By turning consumption data into a shareable, personalised summary, YouTube aims to strengthen user engagement on its flagship app.
