YouTube has spent the bulk of its existence fighting against unsanctioned download sites and ad-blockers, but the past few years have seen Google really ramp up its war. Ad-blocking users have been treated to missing comments and video descriptions, error messages, missing view counts, increased buffering, loading failures, and much, much more. I get it — no one likes ads, and YouTube’s ads in particular have gone from 5-second pre-rolls and mid-video breaks to something far more in line with traditional streaming services. Modern YouTube ads often feel like they’re overwhelming the video that surrounds them.
There’s a whole host of reasons people rely on third-party browsers on Android, and chief among them is a pretty popular workaround for background playback in YouTube. Unfortunately, those days might be coming to a close for non-subscribers.
Besides announcing a new AI Labs program, YouTube is making official the latest Premium features for subscribers today, like faster playback speeds. Most were first previewed at the start of this year.
YouTube Premium was never supposed to be the tier that rids the site of ads. Instead, it’s an option offered by Google to users who want a trimmed experience for less money than a full Premium experience costs. In a change to some regions, Google reiterates that YouTube Premium Lite is going to start seeing ads in new spots.
After launching in the US and select other regions earlier this year, YouTube Premium Lite is now expanding to a few more countries – here’s the full list.
It’s not the dream of a full bundle, but some Google One subscribers will soon get a discount on YouTube Premium in the US. Meanwhile, YouTube is starting to test a handful of new features that subscribers can opt-in to.
Some YouTube Premium subscribers are getting promo codes that discount the Pixel 9 series by $100. Notably, this can be combined with an existing Google Store sale.
YouTube Premium is one of a mountain of subscription plans for streaming services, but it’s for the biggest video-sharing platform on the planet – do you think it’s worth it?
Beginning in 2023, Google started raising the price of YouTube Premium. Most saw the increase immediately, but there were some exceptions. The early adopter (grandfathered) price for what’s now YouTube Premium is going away soon.
Over the past month or so, YouTube has been testing a new desktop design that most users don’t seem to like. Now, YouTube is giving its Premium subscribers a chance to test the redesign themselves.
YouTube is consistently rolling out new features to a small set of users before they become widely available, known as “experiments.” The latest one called “jump ahead” skips to the best parts of a YouTube video for you.
YouTube Premium
YouTube finally gave you a proper alternative to ad-blockers, and now it’s time to pay
YouTube has spent the bulk of its existence fighting against unsanctioned download sites and ad-blockers, but the past few years have seen Google really ramp up its war. Ad-blocking users have been treated to missing comments and video descriptions, error messages, missing view counts, increased buffering, loading failures, and much, much more. I get it — no one likes ads, and YouTube’s ads in particular have gone from 5-second pre-rolls and mid-video breaks to something far more in line with traditional streaming services. Modern YouTube ads often feel like they’re overwhelming the video that surrounds them.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium Lite adds background play and downloads
Just under a year after expanding to the US, YouTube Premium Lite is adding background playback and offline downloads for “most videos.”
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription
After testing in recent months, YouTube Music looks to be widely rolling out a Premium paywall for lyrics.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube is killing free background play workarounds in third-party browsers [U]
There’s a whole host of reasons people rely on third-party browsers on Android, and chief among them is a pretty popular workaround for background playback in YouTube. Unfortunately, those days might be coming to a close for non-subscribers.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle hands out massive 40% discount for Pixel 10 series to YouTube Premium subscribers
A new promo email has begun appearing in YouTube Premium subscribers’ inboxes, and it includes a discount code for 40% off the Pixel 10.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium Lite expands to India, Japan, and the Philippines
YouTube has just announced that its new Premium Lite subscription is expanding to India, and it’s also been made available in a few other regions too.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium rolls out high-quality audio, faster playback speeds, and more
Besides announcing a new AI Labs program, YouTube is making official the latest Premium features for subscribers today, like faster playback speeds. Most were first previewed at the start of this year.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube reminds users that Premium Lite shows ads on Shorts, and it’s expanding
YouTube Premium was never supposed to be the tier that rids the site of ads. Instead, it’s an option offered by Google to users who want a trimmed experience for less money than a full Premium experience costs. In a change to some regions, Google reiterates that YouTube Premium Lite is going to start seeing ads in new spots.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium Lite is expanding to more countries
After launching in the US and select other regions earlier this year, YouTube Premium Lite is now expanding to a few more countries – here’s the full list.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium grandfathered pricing going away for more early adopters
YouTube is continuing to remove grandfathered pricing for its Premium subscription service.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium Lite now rolling out, makes ‘most’ videos ad-free for $7.99/month
Following reports last month, YouTube Premium Lite has just launched for $7.99/month in the US and promises to make “most” videos ad-free.
Expand Expanding CloseReport: YouTube ‘Premium Lite’ is for those that already have a music subscription
After testing in recent months, Google is reportedly proceeding with the launch of a YouTube Premium Lite subscription plan that has no music.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium discount coming to Google One, testing 4x playback speed
It’s not the dream of a full bundle, but some Google One subscribers will soon get a discount on YouTube Premium in the US. Meanwhile, YouTube is starting to test a handful of new features that subscribers can opt-in to.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium code takes $100 off Pixel 9, stacks with existing $150 discount
Some YouTube Premium subscribers are getting promo codes that discount the Pixel 9 series by $100. Notably, this can be combined with an existing Google Store sale.
Expand Expanding CloseIs YouTube Premium worth it? [Poll]
YouTube Premium is one of a mountain of subscription plans for streaming services, but it’s for the biggest video-sharing platform on the planet – do you think it’s worth it?
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium’s early adopter (grandfathered) price is going away
Beginning in 2023, Google started raising the price of YouTube Premium. Most saw the increase immediately, but there were some exceptions. The early adopter (grandfathered) price for what’s now YouTube Premium is going away soon.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube ‘Premium Lite’ plan expands to more countries with ‘limited’ ads
YouTube Premium is pricey, but Google is slowly starting to expand a “Premium Lite” plan to more countries with a price that’s roughly half off.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube details progress on top features requests by Premium subscribers
In addition to announcing the latest features for Premium subscribers today, YouTube shared updates on top feature requests.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium adds Jump Ahead and Picture-in-Picture for Shorts
YouTube is announcing the latest Premium features today for subscribers like Jump Ahead and Shorts Picture-in-Picture.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle is canceling cheap YouTube Premium subs obtained via VPN
Google appears to be cracking down and canceling cheap YouTube Premium memberships obtained via a VPN service.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium subscribers can now test the new desktop redesign and give feedback
Over the past month or so, YouTube has been testing a new desktop design that most users don’t seem to like. Now, YouTube is giving its Premium subscribers a chance to test the redesign themselves.
Expand Expanding CloseVerizon myPlan adds discounted YouTube Premium for $10 per month
Verizon introduced “myPlan” last year to let you pick and choose plan features/perks, and an update today adds YouTube Premium at a discount.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Premium members can now test AI-powered ‘Jump ahead’
Back in March, YouTube started testing “Jump ahead” and is now making it more widely available through youtube.com/new for Premium subscribers.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube announces ‘jump ahead’ experimental feature for Premium users
YouTube is consistently rolling out new features to a small set of users before they become widely available, known as “experiments.” The latest one called “jump ahead” skips to the best parts of a YouTube video for you.
Expand Expanding Close