LinusTechTips is calling on YouTube to address growing frustration around the platform’s collab feature after fans raised concerns about unwanted videos appearing in their subscription feeds.
During a recent discussion, Linus responded to viewers who said they were confused or irritated after a podcast episode appeared in their feeds through YouTube’s collab system.
The feature lets a creator publish a video that also surfaces in the subscriber feed of a partnered channel, even if viewers aren’t subscribed to the originating creator.
A number of viewers said they didn’t expect the episode to show up this way, while others questioned why content from creators they’ve actively blocked can still appear when those creators participate in collabs.
Viewer criticism over blocked creators
Linus highlighted a comment from a viewer who said they “hate the collab feature” because it pushes videos into their feed from channels they don’t follow. The commenter referenced previous examples involving major creators and said they specifically blocked certain channels, but still had their videos appear through collabs.
The viewer argued that subscribers should never see content from a blocked channel under any circumstance, and said YouTube’s current implementation ignores that user preference.
He added that this issue was the main point he aligned with, noting that the user’s request for full control over what appears in their feed was reasonable.
As part of the exchange, Linus explained that creators have limited ability to manually promote videos due to the way YouTube’s algorithm currently distributes reach. He noted that community posts and similar tools often fail to appear for subscribers unless the content performs well immediately.
He said the site’s collab feature gives creators a small amount of that lost visibility back, allowing cross-pollination between audiences in a way the platform’s algorithm has increasingly restricted.
Linus closed the conversation by reiterating that viewers should have control over what appears in their feeds, including the ability to filter out collabs or block specific channels entirely. He encouraged YouTube to adjust the system so the feature respects user blocks and subscription preferences.
The tech creator hit out at YouTube back in October as well, calling for the site to fix their membership feature because it makes the site “un-navigable.”
