You know that video you watched last week. Or yesterday. Or five minutes ago. You remember it was funny, slightly unhinged, and probably posted by someone with a username you can’t spell.
Yeah. That one.
X is currently testing a watch history feature, which would finally make it easier to find videos you have already seen but absolutely cannot track down again. The update was shared by X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, and it introduces a new “Seen” tab inside the app.
In theory, this tab would show videos you have already watched, saving you from endless doom-scrolling in hopes the algorithm takes pity on you.
The “Seen” tab would track videos you have watched in the app. What it does not clarify yet is how deep this history goes or if it logs every single post you’ve viewed.
Is this a full archive? A short-term memory lane? A gentle reminder of how much time you spend watching videos instead of doing literally anything else? That part is still unclear.
But the intent is obvious. It is meant to help users rediscover content that stuck with them emotionally, mentally, or against their will, even if they cannot remember who posted it or why they cared.
Other platforms already offer versions of this, so X adding one feels less like innovation and more like catching up quietly.
Buried in the same screenshot is another small tweak. Replies now show bubble icons highlighting people you follow who have responded to a post. This subtly nudges you to check out those replies, because apparently seeing your friends’ opinions is still one of the strongest engagement triggers on the internet.
It is a small visual change, but one designed to pull you deeper into conversations you were not planning to read.
Which, to be fair, is kind of X’s whole business model.
If you are waiting for a big announcement explaining when this feature will roll out, don’t hold your breath.
X has made a habit of moving quickly from testing to release without much fanfare. Features appear, switch, disappear, and reappear while users slowly realize something feels different but cannot quite explain why.
Sometimes those changes work. Sometimes they do not. And sometimes they quietly reshape how the entire app behaves without asking for permission.
This watch history test fits into a much larger pattern. Recently, X changed how the Following feed works. It is no longer chronological. It now prioritizes what X decides is most relevant to you based on past behavior.
On top of that, users are defaulted into the algorithm-driven For You feed, and there is no way to permanently set Following as the default view. If you want chronological order, you have to manually switch every single time you log in.
This matters because it gives X more control over what you see, how long you stay, and how often you interact.
The For You feed allows X to surface a wider range of content, which usually translates to more scrolling and more engagement. The Following feed, meanwhile, has become harder to use if your goal is simply keeping up with accounts you chose to follow.
From the outside, it is hard to measure. Internal metrics are not public, and X does not exactly publish detailed performance breakdowns.
That said, the AI-powered For You feed has improved over time. It generally does a better job showing relevant posts than it did a year ago. At the same time, the Following feed feels weaker, especially for users who value real-time updates.
X clearly prefers users rely on its Grok-powered recommendations. The watch history feature, reply bubbles, and feed changes all support that same goal: more time in the app, fewer exits, and more passive consumption.
Will this be enough to drive real growth?
Probably not without bigger changes.
Threads continues to solidify itself as a viable alternative for certain communities, while X still struggles with perception issues, inconsistent policy changes, and the ongoing visibility of its owner’s posts and interests.
Improved recommendations may keep people scrolling longer, but they also risk fatigue if users feel less control over what they see.
The watch history tab might help you find that one video again. The real question is whether it helps X keep people coming back tomorrow.
