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Youtube Likes Disappearing: Why Likes Aren't Showing Up On Your Videos (The Real Reason)

People think YouTube is removing their likes… but that’s not actually what’s happening.



And no — it’s not a glitch, and YouTube isn’t punishing your channel.


The real reason your YouTube likes are disappearing is WAY more intentional… and if you don’t understand it, you’ll keep losing engagement without even realizing it.


By the end of this video, you’ll know exactly why likes aren’t showing up on your YouTube videos — and the one setting that secretly causes most of the “missing likes” problem.


Stick with me, because the twist at the end will change how you look at your YouTube analytics forever.


When this first happened to me over 5 years ago, I thought my audience secretly hated my videos.


But once I discovered why YouTube removes likes, everything made sense — and my engagement actually went up.


1. YouTube Removes “Invalid Engagement” (The Reason Most Likes Disappear)


Here’s the part nobody tells you: YouTube does NOT count every like.
They only count valid engagement.


A like disappears when YouTube thinks it came from:


* a bot

* a spam account

* duplicate accounts from the same person

* users with suspicious activity

* people who liked and unliked too fast


Example:


If your friend creates a second account just to “boost your likes,” YouTube filters that out instantly.


It’s not personal — it’s automated.


Most beginners think “people are unliking my video,” but really… YouTube is just cleaning up fake engagement.


2. Likes From New or “Low-Trust” Accounts Don’t Show Up


Millions of people watch without ever posting, commenting, or subscribing.


These “low-trust” accounts often have their likes temporarily ignored or removed.


Think of it like a credit score:


If YouTube doesn’t trust the account yet, they don’t count the like.


Here’s where creators get confused:


You might SEE the like number go up in real time…
…but when YouTube finishes verification, it drops back down.


This is completely normal.


And it’s the biggest reason creators think their likes are disappearing.


3. YouTube Delays Updating Like Counters (Especially on Mobile)


Sometimes, your like counter didn’t actually drop —


YouTube just put a delay on real-time updates.


Example:


You check your video and see 42 likes.


Someone else sees 51.


You refresh, and now it’s 47.


Is YouTube removing likes?


Not necessarily.


It’s just syncing engagement across devices as the system verifies each like.


Fast channels see this a LOT.


Small channels see it too — but assume something is broken.


It isn’t. It’s just delayed processing.


4. The Setting That Secretly Blocks Likes From Showing Up


Okay — this is the part almost nobody knows.


If your video is set to “Made for Kids,” your engagement behaves differently.


Some interactions are restricted to protect child viewers.


That includes:


* personalized recommendations

* certain notification types

* limited engagement visibility


Likes can still be given…


…but they won’t always update instantly.


If your likes are disappearing ONLY on videos marked “made for kids,” this is almost always the reason.


Creators miss this because they assume “I didn’t make this for kids!”


But YouTube sometimes auto-detects it incorrectly and flags it anyway.


5. When YouTube Actually Removes Likes on Purpose


This is RARE — but important.


YouTube will remove likes if they detect:


* like-for-like groups

* engagement pods

* mass liking from the same IP address

* users liking from embedded players or unauthorized apps

* VPN-based spam


If a lot of your likes come from the same behavior pattern, YouTube wipes them in bulk.


This can happen instantly or within 48 hours.


It’s not a penalty — it’s just YouTube protecting the integrity of your analytics.


The Secret Metric That Matters More Than Likes


Here’s the insider truth almost no one knows:


YouTube doesn’t actually use likes to determine whether to push your video.


They use viewer satisfaction signals, which include:


* watch time

* average view duration

* click-through rate

* whether viewers save, share, or rewatch

* whether they watch another one of your videos immediately after


Likes help…


but they’re barely 5% of the equation.


So when YouTube removes likes?


Your video’s growth potential does not go down.


If anything, the removal PROTECTS your channel from spam signals that would hurt it.


This is why some creators with thousands of likes never go viral…


…and others with 40 likes suddenly explode.


Likes aren’t the lever.


Satisfaction is.


If this helped you finally understand why your YouTube likes are disappearing — and why likes aren’t showing up on your videos — hit the like button so this video gets pushed to more creators who need the truth.


And subscribe if you want my next video, trust me — you don’t want to miss that one.


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YouTube likes disappearing on your videos? In this YouTube tutorial, I break down exactly why YouTube likes aren’t showing up, the real reasons YouTube likes vanish, and what you can do to fix missing likes on YouTube fast.


If your YouTube likes suddenly drop, fail to update, or disappear right after someone clicks the YouTube like button, you’re not alone. This issue often happens because of spam-filtering, invalid engagement removal, delayed syncing, or an account action YouTube flags behind the scenes. In this video, you’ll learn the truth about disappearing likes on YouTube, how the YouTube engagement system really works, and the steps that actually restore accurate YouTube like counts.


✨ What You’ll Learn


• Why YouTube likes aren’t showing up

• The real reason your YouTube likes disappear immediately

• How YouTube removes spam likes (and what triggers it)

• Why YouTube likes drop after publishing a video

• How to fix missing YouTube likes and avoid future removal

• How viewer behavior impacts visible engagement

• What YouTube’s automated systems detect as “invalid interactions”


📌 Timestamps


00:00 — YouTube Likes Disappearing: Why YouTube Likes Aren't Showing Up On Your YouTube Videos (The Real Reason)

00:43 — 1. YouTube Removes “Invalid Engagement” (The Reason Most YouTube Likes Disappear)

01:25 — 2. YouTube Likes From New or “Low-Trust” Accounts Don’t Show Up

01:58 — 3. YouTube Delays Updating YouTube Like Counters (Especially on Mobile)

02:32 — 4. The Setting That Secretly Blocks YouTube Likes From Showing Up

03:14 — 5. When YouTube Actually Removes YouTube Likes on Purpose

03:45 — The Secret Metric That Matters More Than YouTube Likes


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➕LINKS MENTIONED:

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• YOUTUBE LIKES DISAPPEARING: Why Likes Are Not Showing On YouTube? YouTube Removing Likes? https://youtu.be/D226BQ8iR3s

• How To Stop YouTube From Automatically Translating Video Titles: https://youtu.be/cF5SlYjGipg

• Youtube Auto Dubbing Viewer Fix: How To Turn Off YouTube Automatic Dubbing On Mobile and Desktop: https://youtu.be/CEMwHRhPRVE

• YouTube SEO: How To A/B Test YouTube Titles & How To A/B Test YouTube Thumbnails NEW YouTube Update: https://youtu.be/RuRjCn5y0Io

• How To Turn Off Auto Dubbing On YouTube | YouTube Auto Dubbing: https://youtu.be/pF-xZCF1yaY


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➕COME SAY HI!


👋 Hey there! I'm Marina, the tech fairy godmother you've been looking for! I'm here to make your wildest entrepreneurial dreams come true by helping you conquer the tech side of things without all the headaches and stress. From website building to social media, I've got your back! Tune in every week for new videos that will have you saying "Yes to Tech!" 🚀


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DISCLAIMER: This video and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. I only recommend products that I use and love. Thank you for your support!



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