YouTube's Tamba: A New Social App Is Coming, and So Are More Notifications

Commercial · November 6, 2026

YouTube's Tamba: A New Social App Is Coming, and So Are More Notifications

Code in version 21.44.534 of YouTube's Android app points to a separate app called Tamba, with its own branding and a package name the code treats as a separate app. Nothing is official yet. Tamba looks like an experiment, and there's no guarantee it will launch publicly.

What the leak suggests

Social features: The code includes dozens of new notification types that read like they belong to a social media app rather than a video platform.
Followers, DMs and group chats: Reports describe followers, direct messages, group chats and video sharing.
Private profiles: Follow requests imply private profiles, which YouTube doesn't currently offer.
A new look: Tamba has 38 hand-drawn-style icons instead of YouTube's clean, geometric ones.
Both platforms: The code indicates development for both Android and iOS.
Unclear future: Tamba's features could end up in the main YouTube app instead of a separate download.