Credit: Unsplash
Details can be changed without altering one’s Google account.
Back when Google first bought YouTube, there was a bit of a weird transitional period where everyone was forced to link their YouTube and Google accounts together. The process wasn’t exactly concise, so there was a lot of confusion as numerous YouTube channels had their names and profiles futzed with. Things settled down eventually, but when those accounts were merged, it made it much more difficult to operate a Google account independently of one’s YouTube channel. As of today, though, that has been remedied, at least somewhat.
YouTube announced today that they’ve made a change to how YouTube and Google accounts operate. Specifically, YouTube users can now freely change the name of their channel, as well as their profile picture, without those changes carrying over into their Google accounts. This is definitely a beneficial feature, as forcing users to tie their accounts together like that could be potentially hazardous to prolific channels.
Though, speaking of prolific channels, this change comes with an asterisk: verified YouTube channels, those with the little checkmarks next to their channel names, will lose their checkmarks if they opt to change their channel names. They’ll then need to reapply for verification from YouTube if they want verification back. This could prove to be a bit of a headache for those who rely heavily on the content algorithm to direct users toward their content.
YouTube now lets creators change their channel name without changing their entire Google account https://t.co/RPRcjceIFA pic.twitter.com/0PVt8R07S6
— The Verge (@verge) April 23, 2021
According to YouTube, both branded channels and personal channels will be able to utilize name and profile picture changes freely. YouTube said that this feature was a “top request from creators,” though I could certainly think of a few other changes to the site that people have been much more vocal about than name changing. Small victories, I guess.
