To verify your channel, you’ll be asked to enter a phone number. YouTube will send a verification code by text or voice call to that phone number.
Once you’ve verified your account, you can:
- Upload videos longer than 15 minutes
- Add custom thumbnails
- Live stream
- Appeal Content ID claims
You may also be asked to verify your account when you sign up.
Why does YouTube ask for my phone number?
YouTube take spam and abuse seriously. Using phone numbers to verify identity is one way to protect our community and combat abuse.
YouTube use the phone number to send you a verification code. YouTube also make sure the phone number is linked to no more than 2 channels per year.
I haven’t received the verification code
You should get the code immediately. If you haven’t, you can request a new code. Make sure you’re not running into one of these common problems:
- Some countries/regions and carriers don’t support text messages from Google: Most mobile carriers support text messages from Google. If your carrier doesn’t support text messages from Google, you can try the voice call option, or use a different phone number.
- There are too many accounts with the same phone number: If you get the error message, “This phone number has already created the maximum number of accounts,” you’ll have to use a different number. To help prevent abuse, a phone number can only be associated with 2 accounts per year.
- Text message delivery can be delayed: Delays can happen in densely populated areas, or if your carrier’s infrastructure isn’t well maintained. If you’ve waited more than a few minutes and still haven’t received our text message, try the voice call option.
Why sign in to YouTube?
Signing in to YouTube with your Google Account can help you find content you like, connect with the YouTube community, and more. Here’s what you get when you sign in:
See more from your favorite channels by subscribing
You can subscribe to channels and choose to get notified when new videos are uploaded. By default, we’ll only send you highlights from the channel.
Create and share playlists
Quickly find and watch your favorite videos by creating a playlist. You can even share it with your friends and invite them to collaborate on it.
Contribute to the community
You can interact with your favorite channels and artists. When signed in, you can comment on videos and posts to let them know what you think of their video, ask questions, and connect with other fans.
Watch privately using Incognito mode
If you don’t want YouTube to remember your activity, you can use Incognito mode. For example, if you watch a video in incognito mode, it won’t change your account’s recommended videos.
On mobile, you can find incognito in the account menu. Or you can use the private mode of your favorite web browser.