YouTube Killed Shorts - WAN Show April 17, 2026

TL;DR

YouTube now lets users set Shorts watch time to zero minutes, effectively hiding them from the feed for most users.

Key Points

• 1.YouTube added a Shorts feed limit option allowing users to set viewing time to zero minutes. Found under Settings > Time Management > Daily Limits, but rollout was inconsistent — many hosts and chat members couldn't find the option, suggesting a staged percentage rollout.
• 2.The feature's effectiveness is inconsistent across devices and regions. Some users (e.g., Pixel 10 Pro XL) reported Shorts fully disappearing; others (Crystal on iOS) saw a bypassable prompt with a glowing 'watch anyway' button, making it nearly useless.
• 3.The hosts believe the change may be driven by legal pressure, not conscience. A recent ruling found YouTube intentionally designed its app to harm minors' development, likely pushing Google to reduce aggressive attention-capture design.
• 4.Linus shared that simply uninstalling the YouTube app was the only effective solution for him. App-level time limits were too easy to bypass once the brain learned 'it didn't hurt' to ignore them.
• 5.DaVinci Resolve 21 was announced at NAB 2026 as a direct Lightroom competitor. Blackmagic Design added a dedicated photo page with RAW editing for Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm cameras, album management, AI Magic Mask, AI UltraSharpen, and tethered shooting.
• 6.DaVinci Resolve's pricing makes it a compelling Adobe alternative. Most photo features are free; the full Studio license is a one-time $295 purchase, versus Adobe Lightroom's $10/month ($120/year) subscription with no end in sight.
• 7.LMG spends approximately $62,000 CAD/year on Adobe Creative Cloud and $4,500 CAD/year on Adobe Acrobat Pro. Adobe was revealed to be one of LMG's top software expenses, prompting discussion of switching to alternatives like OnlyOffice or PDF-XChange.
• 8.LTT Labs published a new article on minimum display brightness, finding some phones reach as low as 0.001 nits. The latest iPhone achieved one-thousandth of a nit using accessibility white point reduction combined with standard brightness settings.
• 9.California bill AB1921, the Protect Our Games Act, is backed by Stop Killing Games. Introduced by assembly member Chris Ward, it applies to server-connected games released after December 1, 2026, requiring 60 days' shutdown notice and at least one of: an offline patch, a standalone version, or a full refund.
• 10.The bill has exceptions for subscription-based MMOs like WoW and free-to-play games. The hosts flagged a gray area: players who spend hundreds on free game cosmetics (e.g., League of Legends skins) may not be protected under the current 'free game' exemption.
• 11.The EU Parliament held an introductory hearing on the European Citizens Initiative 'Stop Destroying Video Games.' A parliamentary response is not expected before July, but the hosts expressed surprise at the level of momentum the movement has gained.
• 12.Allbirds, a struggling shoe retailer, pivoted to AI, causing their stock to explode in value. The hosts found this bizarre and comedic, noting it as a recurring theme of companies rebranding around AI for market reaction rather than genuine product change.
• 13.Apple relaunched its education-focused landing page, pushing low-cost iPads, MacBook Neo, and MacBook Air for K–12 and college students. The hosts argued Apple made a serious strategic mistake abandoning education after the iMac era, allowing Chromebooks to dominate schools entirely.
• 14.Linus has been daily-driving the MacBook Neo for over two weeks without complaints. He compared this to the Linux challenge — unlike previous attempts where participants counted down the days, this time the timer passed and 'no one cared,' suggesting the device is genuinely usable.
• 15.LTT Store launched three new products: the Moto T motorsport-inspired jersey, a Sir Ability to Can bleach-printed shirt, and a brimless baseball cap. The Moto T's pink-and-green colorway is inspired by the classic Lamborghini livery; Creator Warehouse branding allows other creators to rebrand the blank cap for their own use.