YouTube looking into issue with purchasing membership gifting

YouTube may be cooking up changes that creators will absolutely love. But at the same time, some YouTube fans and creators alike have hit a snag while trying to share the love with membership gifting. Picture this: you’re watching your favorite creator’s live stream, hyped to gift a membership, but instead of the joy of giving, you’re stuck staring at a spinning wheel. Well, you’re not alone. The gift membership glitch has wreaked havoc over the past week or so, causing frustration across devices and browsers.

Luckily, YouTube’s support team is already on it — or, at least, they’re looking into it. Responding to a frustrated user on X, YouTube hinted that the team is investigating the matter. Unfortunately, though, no one’s quite sure when the fix will land, leaving everyone in suspense.

In the meantime, some savvy users have found a workaround — kind of. It seems that while web browsers are a no-go, switching to the YouTube app on mobile devices may do the trick. Some users reported success in gifting memberships from their phone or tablet app, even when their browsers let them down. However, this is far from a perfect solution, especially if you’re glued to your desktop setup. Furthermore, it may not work for everyone. If hopping between devices sounds like too much hassle, you’re probably still left battling the endless loading screen.

The glitch seems to be sparing no one, with reports from users on MacOS, Windows, Firefox, Chrome, Brave, and beyond all singing the same tune: endless spinning wheels and no memberships gifted. Clearing cache, switching browsers, logging in and out, restarting devices — you name it, they’ve tried it, and it hasn’t made a difference. Here’s a video sample of the issue shared on X.

Until YouTube works its magic, the only reliable workaround seems to be using the app. So, if you’re looking to support your favorite creators with gifted memberships, keep your phone handy — or be prepared to embrace the endless buffering. Either way, let’s hope YouTube gets this sorted soon, so the generosity can flow freely again.