As international YouTube Premium increases get underway, Google is making official a handful of features for the subscription.
After launching on iOS, the 1080p Premium “Enhanced bitrate” is now official for Android, smart TVs, and the web. YouTube says it is “enabled automatically based on your connection and viewing settings,” or you can find it at the top of the quality menu.
YouTube Premium’s “Continue watching” reminder is now coming to tablets and smart televisions after debuting on phones and the web. These suggestions let you resume content, especially longer videos, immediately with the playback position preserved: “Start your favorite podcast on the subway during your morning commute, switch to the web on your laptop as you take a break at work, and end your day by watching on your smart TV at home.”
Following the announcement last week, the “Conversational AI” experiment that adds an “Ask” button below videos is rolling out to youtube.com/new, though you have to “sign up quickly for one of the limited spots” if you’re using the Android app in US English.
Top comment by John McDevitt
None of these seem like features. It just seems like they'll soon remove watch indicators and the progress you've made in a video upon visiting your watch history, or make these videos significantly harder to find when you first open YouTube. Otherwise, what's the point? And enhanced Bitrate, on 1080p video primarily viewed on a screen that fits in your pocket, along with a few 90 day free trials seems negligible, if not actively insulting, due to the recent price hikes.
YouTube themselves have admitted to share holders that they had made relatively few advancements in AI or features but have increased ad revenue by an astronomical amount, providing more incentive for users to upgrade to Premium. To reiterate, they made a boatload of cash by drastically reducing the quality of ads they are willing to show while increasing the amount of time free users are forced to watch said ads, attempting to funnel them into a monthly subscription. They didn't really provide any groundbreaking features, then increased the monthly price of premium across the board and called it success. I used to be a fanboy until they stopped providing value and began orchestrating it. What a joke.
YouTube is using an LLM to “answer questions, suggest related content, and more, all without interrupting your playback experience.” The “Comment topics summarized by AI” experiment is also available.
Lastly, the following third-party YouTube Premium perks are available in the US by going to the “You” tab and scrolling down to “Your Premium benefits”:
- In-game loot bundle for Genshin Impact
- 3-month trial of Discord Nitro
- 3-month trial of a Walmart+ membership
- 4-month trial of Calm Premium
- 3-month trial of PC Game Pass [Coming Soon]
On that page, you’ll also find Premium Badges to “showcase your achievements on the platform for members 18 years and older.”
Located on the Your Premium benefits page, it’s like a trophy cabinet just for you, highlighting your Premium milestones and how you’ve embraced all those exclusive features.
This joins the original Premium functionality of no ads, offline downloads, and background play, as well as recent additions like queuing and Meet Live Sharing. YouTube says to expect “new features and exclusive benefits that help you dive deeper into the content you love” in the future.
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