Fans confused as PewDiePie ‘loses’ YouTube verification on mobile

Calum Patterson

Fans of top YouTuber Felix ‘PewDiePie‘ Kjellberg have been left confused after the 100 million+ subscribed channel has apparently been caught up in the verification debacle.

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On September 19, YouTube rolled out a new verification system, which effectively removed the verified ‘tick’ badge from countless channels, in a move that left the community confused.

After significant backlash, CEO Susan Wojcicki said that they had “missed the mark” with the change, and the removal of verification badges was reverted on September 20.

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PewDiePie’s channel did not lose verification, at least on desktop, but fans later noticed that on mobile he had no badge.

YouTube stated in a Tweet that “the checkmark has never appeared on mobile pages” and that it would be added soon, but it was pointed out that some YouTubers, including James Charles, did, in fact, have a verified tick on mobile, when they are searched for.

Another popular YouTuber, Shane Dawson, also has a verified badge when searched for on YouTube mobile.

YouTubeThe difference in search results for the two YouTubers on mobile has left fans confused.
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The lack of a verified badge next to PewDiePie’s name on mobile immediately sparked backlash, as users were perhaps unaware that the verified tick is often not displayed on mobile anyway.

James Charles himself spoke out against YouTube’s new verification system (which has now been reverted), branding it “pointless”.

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Jacksepticeye, a frequent collaborator of PewDiePie, is another who doesn’t have the verified box pop-up when his name is searched on mobile, despite having over 20 million subscribers.

He also spoke out on the topic, calling the move to unverify creators a “slap in the face.”

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With YouTube now restoring verification to all those who lost it, and introducing a more robust system for granting verification, the main complaints about the change have been resolved.

The confusion was caused because of the inconsistency of some users having the verified badge on mobile, while PewDiePie – the most subscribed-to individual creator – and others, were left without.

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About The Author

Calum is Dexerto's Managing Editor, based in Scotland. Joining Dexerto in 2017, Calum has years of experience covering esports, gaming and online entertainment, and now leads the team to deliver the best coverage in these areas. An expert on all things Twitch and gaming influencers, he's also an expert in popular shooters like Apex Legends, CS2 and Call of Duty. You can contact Calum at calum.patterson@dexerto.com.