YouTube has launched Recap, a personalized year-end summary service based on users' music and video viewing history, globally. Previously available only on YouTube Music, Recap has expanded this year to include the entire main YouTube viewing history, allowing anyone to visually review their year-end activity. The service is available initially in North America and will be rolled out to users globally this week.
Recap consists of up to 12 cards. It presents users' most-watched channels this year, their interests, and changes in their viewing habits in a card format, along with personality-based categories. It stands out for its depiction of how viewers navigate YouTube, using personality traits rather than data. The most frequently appearing categories this year were Sunshine, Wonder Seeker, and Connector.
YouTube explained that Recap's development process went through nine feedback rounds and numerous prototype tests before reaching its current form. This also reflects a shift toward a user-centric, retrospective feature, reflecting the belief that the existing "Rewind" format couldn't capture the entire creative ecosystem in a single video.
If you're a heavy music listener, you can check out the artists and songs you listened to most this year on Recap cards. More detailed music statistics are available in the YouTube Music app, which also provides information on listening patterns by genre, podcast usage, and international music listening history. YouTube Music Recap also supports photo syncing, allowing users who link their accounts to Google Photos to create photo albums that match their music to their personal photos.
This feature requires a certain amount of viewing time. Music Recaps require at least four hours of listening per season and at least ten hours per year. Podcast Recaps require at least two hours of listening per year. If you have auto-delete activity enabled, your history may be missing and you may not be able to view Recaps, so please check your settings.
Along with the release of Recap, YouTube also released its 2025 Trends chart. MrBeast took the top spot as Creator of the Year for the sixth consecutive year, while "The Joe Rogan Experience" topped the podcast charts. Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga's "Die With a Smile" were named the top song of the year.
YouTube, celebrating its 20th anniversary, analyzed that viewership patterns have become more diverse than ever before. Various trends, including Roblox-based creative content and the spread of Korean pop culture, have emerged as hot topics this year, and these changes are expected to be reflected throughout the Recap Card. YouTube plans to continue evolving its service to enhance personalized experiences and allow users to easily record the year's discoveries and changes.
