YouTube developing Tamba: a social app with DMs and groups

YouTube appears to be developing a separate social experience called Tamba that includes a follower system, private messages, group chats and distinct post feeds. The discovery comes from assets and code found in the Android app build 21.44.534 that point to a standalone-sounding project with its own visual identity and user flows.

Files and interface details

Inspecting the Android package revealed a top-bar logo file named "yt_sandbox_topbar_logo_white" that shows the name Tamba in a bold font next to an irregular, hand-drawn scribble with the play icon cut out. Another asset, "yt_fill_experimental_youtube_sandbox", contains the same visual element and is likely intended as the app icon. The app package also contains softer, non-geometric UI elements that contrast with YouTube's usual uniform layout.

The build includes icons and features labeled home, search, Create, camera, Inbox, Chat, stickers, microphone and add user. Together, those elements give Tamba a navigation and visual mix that is closer to Instagram-style social apps than to the current YouTube interface.

Testing setup and platform scope

Crucially, the Tamba assets are tied to a separate package identifier, com.google.android.youtube.sandbox, and the YouTube code treats that package as if it were a distinct application. When the app detects it is running under that package it alters behavior and functionality, and the sandbox contains its own search suggestion logic and file-provider entries. The presence of dedicated identifiers for Android and iOS suggests development for both mobile platforms. Parts of the code also reference user registration and login flows and an activity display page.

The use of the term sandbox in these files usually refers to an isolated testing environment used to experiment without changing the main platform, and several icons carry an "experimental" label, which indicates a limited-test posture. At the same time, the repository of features and the inclusion of onboarding code go beyond an ordinary internal test. YouTube already operates a separate package for public tests, and Tamba's assets appear to bundle features that are not present in the main app.

YouTube has been expanding private-messaging tools in its primary app to let people share videos without leaving the service and has promised group chats in the months ahead. The current evidence does not establish whether Tamba is only a temporary internal identifier, a limited experiment for a subset of users, a future standalone app or functionality that will eventually be folded into the main YouTube experience.