Google Temporarily Disabled YouTube's Advanced Captions Without Warning (arstechnica.com)
(Wednesday January 21, 2026 @11:45AM (msmash)
from the PSA dept.)
- Reference: 0180633320
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/01/21/1622227/google-temporarily-disabled-youtubes-advanced-captions-without-warning
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/google-temporarily-disabled-youtubes-advanced-captions-without-warning/
Google has temporarily [1]disabled YouTube's advanced SRV3 caption format after discovering the feature was causing playback errors for some users, according to a statement the company posted. SRV3, also known as YouTube Timed Text, is a custom subtitle system Google introduced around 2018 that allows creators to use custom colors, transparency, animations, and precise text positioning. Creators cannot upload new SRV3 captions while the feature remains disabled, and existing videos that use the format may not display any captions until Google restores it. The company has provided no timeline for when SRV3 will return, and its forum post notes that changes should be temporary for "almost" all videos.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/google-temporarily-disabled-youtubes-advanced-captions-without-warning/
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/google-temporarily-disabled-youtubes-advanced-captions-without-warning/
They Did Something Right? (Score:2)
by Gilmoure ( 18428 )
Google disables the 'tool' that lets people put captions in the middle of videos, obscuring whatever the fuck the video is?
Cool, cool.
Also mucking with filters (Score:2)
Also in YouTube filters, they are making it less functional. When one clicks on filters and tries to sort by Upload date, one sometimes sees it, and sometimes doesn't. In the new YouTube, they'll just offer "Relevance" and "View Count". If one wants to see the most recent uploads on a subject, one is SOL
The enshittifcation of both software and the internet aggressively continues