Just under a year after expanding to the US, YouTube Premium Lite is adding background playback and offline downloads for “most videos.”
As with the ad-free benefit, that restriction translates to “most non-music content, excluding Shorts.” This leaves you with access to gaming, fashion, beauty, news, and other content. Ads continue to appear “on music content, Shorts, and when you search or browse.”
YouTube Premium Lite members ($7.99 per month in the US) will now be able to download videos for offline playback when there’s no internet connection. Additionally, they will be able to essentially listen to videos while their screen is off.
YouTube says it “heard feedback about wanting these additional features included in the service.”
We’re excited for today’s update and to continue testing and building products that best meet our users’ needs.
Offline downloads and background playback are rolling out starting today and will be available “everywhere Premium Lite is available” in the coming weeks.
YouTube Premium ($13.99) is still required for “additional features” like queuing, continue watching, and jump ahead.
More on YouTube:
- YouTube Music adding ‘AI Playlist’ with text-based playlist generation
- YouTube tests ‘conversational AI’ on TV apps
- You can already buy NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2026 season ahead of the Super Bowl
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