Exclusive: YouTube’s Mysterious ‘Tamba’ Project Could Be Its Next Big Social Experiment

YouTube has dabbled in social features over the years, but it seems the company is now experimenting with something more ambitious. Code and assets for the latest version of the YouTube app hint at an experimental social experiment called “Tamba,” complete with subscribers, direct messages, group chats, and its own posts.

While browsing the version 21.44.534 of the YouTube app for Android, we came across the Tamba brand. A named logo element “yt_sandbox_topbar_logo_white” which appears designed for the experience’s top bar, displays the word “Tamba” in bold letters alongside a wavy, scribble-like shape with a play button cut out in its center.

A distinct icon, “yt_fill_experimental_youtube_sandbox” uses the same brand of scribble and play button alone, which could serve as Tamba’s app icon.

The scribble pattern isn’t limited to the logo either. Tamba appears to come with its own set of icons that share the same wonky hand-drawn look, setting them apart from the sleek icons in the main YouTube app.

The icon set includes home, search, create, camera, inbox, chat, stickers, a microphone and a person with a plus sign. The code also names icons for a crown, a padlock, a locked bookmark, and a game controller, although artwork for these is not yet in the app. Together, these point to a navigation layout more akin to Instagram than YouTube.

Meanwhile, the Tamba logo is linked to a package name, “com.google.android.youtube.sandbox”, which YouTube’s code treats as a separate application. The YouTube app checks to see if it’s running under this package and changes its behavior accordingly, and the sandbox package even gets its own search suggestions and file providers, just like a standalone app would.

We also spotted dedicated client IDs “ANDROID_SANDBOX” and “IOS_SANDBOX”, suggesting that Google could create Tamba for Android and iPhone. There are also references to a dedicated onboarding page and an activity page for the experience.

Tamba is perhaps more of an experience than a product

The name “sandbox”, however, deserves attention. In the software world, a sandbox generally refers to an isolated space for experimenting without affecting the main product, and Tamba’s custom icons are also labeled “experimental” in code.

This suggests that Tamba could be a proving ground where YouTube tests social features, possibly with a limited group of users, rather than a polished product intended for a broad launch. That said, Tamba doesn’t look like just an internal testing version of YouTube. The code already refers to another “com.google.android.youtube.test” package for this, and Tamba comes with features that the main YouTube app doesn’t have, as well as channels for onboarding new users.

What makes this discovery particularly interesting is what Tamba could do. The code includes dozens of new notification types that look like they belong in a social media app rather than a video platform. Users could follow each other, send and approve follow requests, and exchange direct messages, photos, and videos, one-on-one or in group chats. There are also channels for hearts on posts, Shorts and comments, as well as replies which can include voice notes or even a Short.

Here are some of the key channels we spotted:

A few of them stand out. Tracking query strings suggest that Tamba might support private profiles, something YouTube doesn’t really offer today. The “PREONBOARD_NEW_FOLLOWER” channel also suggests that people may be able to follow you before you even sign up. Meanwhile, the last two channels suggest that the shorts can be played from Tamba chats and the app’s bottom navigation bar, and they refer to the effort as “Project Sandbox.” We don’t yet know what the “mini-app” reference means.

That said, it’s worth noting that YouTube already brings social features to its main app. The company has expanded in-app private messaging, which lets you invite friends to chat and share videos without leaving YouTube, and the company has announced plans to introduce group chats in the coming months. So some of what we see in Tamba’s code may overlap with features already deployed on YouTube itself, and Tamba might just be where YouTube tests these ideas before they come to the main app.

We don’t know what the name Tamba means, and it doesn’t appear anywhere in the app’s code beyond the logo itself, so it could just be a placeholder. It’s also possible that Tamba’s features will eventually make their way into the main YouTube app rather than a standalone download.

Since these features are still buried in the app code and appear experimental, it’s too early to say when or if Tamba will reach users. We’ll keep digging and let you know as soon as we know more.