YouTube's version of stories have some notable differences from the Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat feature that came before it. For one, YouTube Stories are viewable for seven days rather than just 24 hours. The videos can be watched by both channel subscribers and non-subscribers and will appear in the "Up Next" sidebar that queues up related content to play after you finish a video. Viewers can react and comment on the stories, and creators can respond to those messages. Those interactions can be seen by anyone who views the story.

YouTube Stories, first called Reels when they were introduced last year, had received a mixed response from the YouTube community thus far. While some creators have made use of the feature, other major presences on the platform have expressed reservations about the feature and have been slow to adopt it. With more YouTubers gaining access to it, there's a chance that some may find interesting ways to use Stories that will make it a staple of the site. It's fitting for YouTube to try to crib off Instagram, though, seeing as Instagram has encroached on its territory with the launch of IGTV earlier this year.