Why is YouTube asking me to verify my phone number?

YouTube puts certain platform features behind various layers of security. In order to access those features you'll need to verify your identity using your phone number. You will not be able to set your video as a Premiere without doing this first.

To start the verification, head to: https://www.youtube.com/verify and follow the on-screen prompts.

By verifying, you get access to the following features:

• Uploading a video longer than 15 minutes
• Setting your video as a Premiere
• Setting a specific thumbnail image for your video