Since November 6, 2026, YouTube has allowed viewers in Germany to hype videos with Jewels, beyond the free Hypes. The announcement from TeamYouTube names nine countries: the USA, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
A Hype is a viewer's vote for a new video; the votes determine the country's ranking. Jewels are a virtual currency from YouTube that viewers buy in the app. In these countries, viewers could previously only hype for free three times per week. A video can be hyped exclusively in the first seven days after upload.
What changes for viewers and creators?
After the three free Hypes of the week, viewers use Jewels in the mobile app and keep hyping. Each Hype earns the video points for the country's ranking, in which the videos with the most Hype points appear each week.
Creators receive Rubies for every Hype paid for with Jewels. The earnings appear in YouTube Analytics and are paid out via AdSense for YouTube together with the rest of the channel's revenue. Fans who hype with Jewels in the first seven days are also credited by name (handle) in the video description.
YouTube has not yet said how many Jewels a Hype costs and how many Rubies reach the channel. It is equally unclear whether a paid Hype earns as many points on the ranking as a free one.
Paid Hypes are now running in 13 of the 39 countries where Hype is available, including Germany. Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan got paid Hypes earlier this year. What began as a free starting boost for smaller channels is thus getting a paid option.
Who can take part?
The feature applies to channels in the YouTube Partner Program with 500 to 500,000 subscribers whose operators live in one of the nine countries. To receive Rubies, the channel must sign the Virtual Items Module, complete identity verification, and have the "Let viewers hype" option turned on in YouTube Studio.
What you need for Hype with Jewels
Requirements for channels in Germany, as of November 6, 2026
- Channel in the YouTube Partner Program
- 500 to 500,000 subscribers
- Virtual Items Module signed
- Identity verification completed
- Option "Let viewers hype" turned on in YouTube Studio
- Shorts as well as livestreams and premieres while they are live are excluded
YouTube has not stated the price per Hype or the value of the Rubies
Sources: TeamYouTube, YouTube Help
For the German-speaking region, this means: Germany is included in the paid Hypes, Austria only in the free Hype. In the country list in YouTube Help, Switzerland is missing entirely. Excluded from Hype are Shorts, unlisted and private videos, content made for kids, and age-restricted videos. Livestreams and premieres only qualify once they are archived long-form videos.
What this means for you
Check in YouTube Studio whether the "Let viewers hype" option is turned on for your channel. For channels that qualify, Hype is active by default; it can be turned off in the Studio app and on a computer if you don't want it at all.
The seven-day window applies to paid and free Hypes alike. It's best to announce uploads your community is waiting for in advance, so that fans are ready in the first week.
Only factor in revenue from Hypes once YouTube Analytics shows the first Rubies. Without information on price and share, the revenue cannot be projected.
YouTube announced the expansion on November 6, 2026.
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