What you need to know

• YouTube TV is rolling out customizable multiview, letting users choose which channels to watch together.
• The new interface shows recommended channels and categories like sports, news, shows, movies, and other live content.
• The feature is now rolling out widely for all YouTube TV users in the U.S.

After a few users started spotting it, YouTube TV has now officially confirmed that it has started rolling out a feature that lets users customize which channels appear in the multiview view.

Earlier this year, YouTube TV announced plans to make multiview more flexible, alongside introducing new pricing bundles for specific content. While those bundles, like the $64.99/month Sports plan and $54.99/month Entertainment plan are already live, customizable multiview streams are now starting to show up as well.

First spotted by a Reddit user and now detailed by Google in the blog post, the multiview feature in the YouTube TV app on smart TVs now lets you customize what you want to see in it.

Now, when you open multiview, you'll see a list of recommended channels along with your current selections at the top. There are also categories like Recommended, Sports, News, TV shows, and Movies to make it easier to browse. You can essentially add whatever live content you want into your multiview setup.

That said, there are still some limitations. Multiview is designed only for live content, which means you can't add video-on-demand or DVR content right now. Some family-friendly content also isn't eligible for customization. And YouTube says a small number of older devices (less than 5%) won't support the full feature, although they'll still get access during major events like the NFL or World Cup.

Google says the feature is rolling out widely and should be available to most YouTube TV users in the U.S. already. If you don't see it yet, it's likely a server-side rollout and should show up on your smart TV soon.

If you want to check whether you have it, open a live stream and press the down button on your remote to bring up the multiview menu. You should see an "Add to multiview" option along with sections for recommended channels and different categories.

It's a welcome addition, especially for users who like to watch multiple games or events at once. For someone like me, it's particularly useful during football (soccer) matches when multiple games are happening at the same time.

What you need to know

• Google is offering 50% off YouTube Premium annual plan with its $20/month AI Pro subscription for a limited time.
• The discounted price brings YouTube Premium down to $80/year and may continue at the same rate after renewal.
• The offer is limited to select countries and is only valid until April 29 for new Google AI Pro subscribers.

YouTube may have increased the prices of its Premium plans in the U.S. recently, but the company is now trying to soften the blow by offering a 50% discount for new Google AI Pro subscribers.

Google has been pushing its AI Pro plan quite aggressively lately. The company recently bumped the included storage from 2TB to 5TB at no extra cost, and now it's adding another perk to make the plan more appealing.

Google has announced that anyone who subscribes to its $20/month Google AI Pro plan will be eligible for 50% off the YouTube Premium annual plan. That means the individual plan, which now costs $160 per year in the U.S., will effectively drop to $80 for eligible users.

It's worth noting that this offer is only available in select regions, including the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, and Japan. It's also a limited-time deal that runs until April 29, so you've only got a short window to take advantage of it.

What's interesting here is that Google says once you subscribe, the YouTube Premium annual plan will continue to renew at the discounted $80/year rate, which actually makes this a pretty great deal in the long run, especially after the recent price increase.

That said, there are a few terms and conditions to keep in mind. The discounted YouTube Premium plan is only available to the Google One plan manager or family organizer, and it doesn't extend to other members in the family plan. If others want access, they'll still need to subscribe separately at full price.

Still, if you're the only one in your household looking to use YouTube Premium and want a cheaper way to get it, this is a solid option. You still get all the benefits like background playback, offline downloads, ad-free viewing, and access to newer Gemini-powered features.

What you need to know

• YouTube now lets you set Shorts usage to zero minutes, effectively limiting access from the main home feed.
• The new setting lives under Time management and adds friction by blocking the Shorts tab after the limit is hit.
• Shorts are not fully removed, as they still appear in subscriptions and can be opened via shared links.

If YouTube Shorts have been wasting your time and taking over your home feed, YouTube is finally rolling out a setting that lets you hide them, at least to some extent.

Last year, YouTube announced a feature that would let users set time limits for how long they use Shorts, and it now looks like it's finally rolling out. As spotted (and confirmed) by The Verge, the YouTube app now includes an option to set the Shorts time limit to zero minutes.

Originally, YouTube said that the time limit would range from 15 minutes to two hours, but the company has now added an option for 0 minutes as well, which effectively lets you turn off YouTube Shorts. The company confirmed that the 'zero minutes' timer is live for parents and is currently rolling out to everyone.

How this works is that you go into the YouTube app settings by tapping the profile icon in the bottom right and then the Settings (gear icon) in the top right. From there, head into Time management settings and set a daily limit for Shorts. Once you enable it, a prompt will ask you to choose the duration, where you can now select zero minutes.

Once you set it to zero minutes and try to open the Shorts tab, you'll see a pop-up saying you've reached your limit, along with options to go back or ignore it. It doesn't completely remove Shorts from the app, but it does add a layer of friction to using it.

It's also worth noting that Shorts will still appear in your subscriptions feed, and you can still open them via direct links. This setting mainly affects the Shorts tab on the home page.

The feature is rolling out now, so you should see it on your device soon.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium prices in the US are increasing across individual, family, and student plans starting next month.
• The individual plan is rising to $15.99/month, while the family plan is jumping to $26.99/month.
• The price hike comes as YouTube shows more ads to free users and cracks down on ad blockers.

Google has started informing YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. that it's increasing subscription prices starting next month, and the change isn't exactly small.

Multiple reports on Reddit (via Piunikaweb) suggest users have begun receiving official emails from Google about the price hike. In these emails, Google highlights the benefits of YouTube Premium, like ad-free viewing, background playback, and offline downloads, before confirming that the new pricing will come into effect next month.

According to these reports, the individual plan is going up from $13.99 to $15.99 per month. The annual plan is also increasing from $139.99 to $159.99. Family plans are seeing a bigger jump, going from $22.99/month to $26.99/month, while the student plan is increasing from $7.99 to $8.99 per month.

Nope not happening. Just cancelled my premium, already expensive enough. Multi-billion dollar company acting like they are going broke or something. from r/youtube

Interestingly, YouTube hasn't made any formal announcement through a press release yet. Instead, it has quietly started notifying users via email, and it hasn't clearly explained why the prices are going up this time around.

The last price increase came in July 2023, when the individual plan moved from $11.99 to $13.99 per month. This latest bump follows a similar $2 increase pattern, now taking it to $15.99 per month.

What makes this more noticeable is the timing. Over the past few months, YouTube has been more aggressive with ads for non-paying users and has also been cracking down on ad blockers. And now, even paying subscribers are seeing a price increase without much warning, which might not sit well with a lot of users.

Android Central's Take

Another price hike, and this one feels harder to justify. YouTube Premium is great — it's in fact a service that I happily pay for — but it's slowly creeping into "too expensive for what it offers" territory. Hoping Google adds more meaningful features to justify the increase (and not just things like the Ask Videos feature).

What you need to know

• YouTube is reportedly starting two tests for Premium users in its Android app, and one of which is called "one-the-go."
• This feature surfaces more convenient and friendly controls for users, placing its media buttons front and center (and large) if it detects you're moving around.
• The other feature, auto-speed, will reportedly automatically quicken your videos to help "save you time," while also keeping comprehension.

YouTube is reportedly kicking off a double experiment for Premium users this week, both focusing on two entirely different "issues."

According to Android Authority, the YouTube app on Android is informing Premium users about two new tests: on-the-go and auto-speed. The report claims the former is all about users who are watching YouTube videos while "working or multitasking." The app's splash page says that on-the-go provides "listener-friendly controls" that will appear in one of two ways. First, the app will automatically detect motion through your phone's sensors.

YouTube says these controls will appear when the app detects that you're walking or running for roughly a minute. If you're listening to a video with your phone unlocked while moving, the app will ask if you'd like to activate on-the-go. These new controls are in a sub-menu of their own, which places the play/pause, skip buttons, and next video buttons front and center.

The content's timeline is way at the bottom, alongside options to save the content. The secondary option is "manual activation." From the video's settings, users can find the on-the-go option. The last experiment, auto-speed, is said to "automatically adjust playback speed throughout the video." This one may require a little more of a hands-on approach, as YouTube says it can "save you time without sacrificing comprehension."

Auto-speed is reportedly housed in the video's playback settings menu.

Just a test

The publication states that it located these two tests within the experimental page in the YouTube app. However, YouTube hasn't posted these tests on its usual "features and experiments" page, as it typically does. Regardless, Premium may soon notice these two features appear for their videos as the week winds down.

One experiment that was posted on YouTube's typical page is "Previews" for discovering videos. This test got started a couple of weeks ago, giving users an "entry" card on the app's homepage. The card is said to provide "five to 10" previews for videos that the algorithm already thinks they'd enjoy. The previews will involve short, engaging moments from the content. Users can decide to continue watching from there or save it for later.

If you're looking to "Reimagine" Shorts you find on YouTube, that's not possible with Gemini and Veo. Find a scene, add your own reference materials, and let Veo take it away for high-quality eight-second clips.

What you need to know

• YouTube now works with Android Auto, but only supports audio playback and not video viewing on the car display.
• Google has added proper playback controls like play, pause, and skip for YouTube within Android Auto.
• Users earlier had to control playback from their phone, but now controls appear directly in the car interface.

One app that users have long wanted to work properly with Android Auto is YouTube, and now it sort of does, but you still won't be able to watch videos in your car.

If you've ever used YouTube over Android Auto, you get the audio from the video through your car, but you don't see the video playing on the head unit. That isn't changing, but Google is now rolling out proper playback controls for YouTube on Android Auto.

Usually, when you play a YouTube video in your car, you can hear the audio, but you don't get playback controls like play, pause, mute, or skip in the usual media playback control area like you do with apps like Spotify or YouTube Music. Now, though, the company is finally adding playback controls for YouTube as well.

As spotted by Reddit users (via 9to5Google), YouTube appears to be rolling out support for this. You still won't see videos on your head unit, but you can now control playback easily without having to reach for your phone.

That said, if you want background playback, you'll still need at least a YouTube Premium Lite subscription, which enables that feature. It's still not the full YouTube experience users might expect, but it does make playback control much more convenient.

Google is also rumoured to bring the full YouTube experience to Android Auto this summer at Google I/O 2026, but we'll have to wait a few more months for that.

Android Central's Take

This feels like one of those small updates that should've been there from day one. Not being able to control playback on YouTube in Android Auto always felt unnecessarily limiting. Sure, you still can't watch videos (and that makes sense), but finally getting proper controls makes the whole experience far less frustrating.

What you need to know

• YouTube has approved new 30-second unskippable ads for TV viewers who are not subscribed to YouTube Premium.
• The ads are designed for big-screen viewing and will appear alongside 6-second and 15-second ad formats.
• Google's AI will dynamically choose which ad length to show based on the audience and viewing context.

YouTube currently shows ads to users who are not subscribed to its Premium membership, and it seems the company may soon make things worse for those viewers. YouTube has approved 30-second unskippable ads for people watching YouTube on TVs.

YouTube on TV has arguably become one of the best ways to consume content. I regularly watch YouTube through the app on my Google TV, and I know many others who do the same. After all, the platform lets you stream content from creators for free.

However, the company has recently been cracking down on ad blockers. Not everyone is a YouTube Premium member like me, and it now seems Google may make the experience tougher for users who are not paying.

As first spotted by Android Headlines, YouTube has approved 30-second unskippable ads for advertisers running campaigns on YouTube TV. Google confirmed the change in a recent blog post.

Google says the new 'non-skip ads' are designed specifically for the big screen. The company also says its AI will dynamically optimize between 6-second bumper ads, 15-second standard ads, and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable formats to ensure ads reach the right audience at the right time.

Now that this ad format is available for advertisers, non-paying YouTube users may start seeing longer ads on their smart TVs. This doesn't necessarily mean every viewer will get 30-second unskippable ads, but advertisers and Google's AI now have the option to serve them.

Of course, ads are necessary for the platform to operate, but this move does feel slightly aggressive. It could also be part of a broader strategy to encourage users to subscribe to YouTube Premium, especially now that the company also offers the lower-cost YouTube Premium Lite plan that removes most ads.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium Lite starts rolling out background play and downloads for "most videos" on the platform.
• The platform states this has started rolling out where Lite is available today (Feb 24) and will continue over the "coming weeks."
• YouTube Premium Lite launched last March for $7.99, but notably lacked these two features it's receiving today.

YouTube Premium's been making moves recently, but its latest update early this week signifies additions for its cheaper subscription plan.

In a blog post, YouTube announced that its Premium Lite tier is receiving two new capabilities for subscribers. The platform states Lite subscribers will notice Background Play and Downloads available through their subscription very soon. Background Play is pretty straightforward; users can view their videos without ads, offline, and in the background on their devices.

When it comes to these new additions to the subscription plan, YouTube Premium states this applies to "most videos." It clarifies this by saying these capabilities extend to "most non-music content, excluding Shorts. Ads may appear when you search or browse." For the most part, everything should be pretty quick and snappy, getting you into content quicker without much bother.

YouTube states that these features will begin rolling out for Lite subscribers today (Feb 24) and over the "coming weeks" everywhere Premium Lite is available. It states that it will continue "testing and building products that best meet our users’ needs." If users are interested in cutting ads out entirely across more video content on YouTube, that's when the platform points you toward the larger Premium plan.

Premium Lite doesn't have to be a compromise

YouTube bringing up its continued "testing" for Premium Lite is a little funny, only because the platform had been testing it for months before its launch. One major difference between its tests and its launch was that Premium Lite first featured ads. But this in itself was a flip-flop decision, as its pilot testing program in 2023 didn't have ads. This secondary test in 2024 was only conducted in a few countries, to gauge user reception, one might guess.

Several months later, in March 2025, YouTube officially launched Premium Lite in the U.S. for $7.99 a month. Ads from videos were gone, but only for content that didn't involve music. Users notably missed out on other welcome features, such as background play and downloads, which YouTube is finally delivering today.

Android Central's Take

I remember when this talk about Premium Lite was going around due to YouTube's tests. I found it strange that, here it is, a subscription plan that you're paying for that still includes ads. That test YouTube ran for a limited selection of countries must've also given it a similar sentiment as what I've just said. A free tier should probably include ads, as it's a reliable way to sustain the platform. But if you're paying for something—paying for a service such as streamed content—shouldn't you forget ads existed?

What you need to know

• YouTube is bringing its Gemini-powered Ask feature to smart TVs as a limited experiment.
• The feature lets viewers ask questions about a video, including detailed follow-ups.
• The conversational AI tool will also work on gaming consoles and streaming devices.
• Google is testing the tool with a small group of Premium Labs users first.

Late last year, Google announced that some AI features would be coming to YouTube for TV, and now we're starting to see a few of those roll out.

Google has been steadily adding AI features across its products and services, including YouTube. While we've had Gemini's Ask feature on the YouTube app and desktop for some time, it has not been available on the smart TV app. That now appears to be changing.

The company shared an update on the YouTube Help support page stating that YouTube is gaining a conversational AI tool on TV (via Android Police). The feature will launch as an experiment, meaning it will not roll out widely right away. Instead, Google will test it with Premium Labs users before expanding availability.

The Ask button finally hits smart TVs

In addition to smart TVs, the feature will also work on gaming consoles and streaming devices. In terms of functionality, the feature will be similar to how it currently works on the desktop and mobile. This means when watching a video, you'll see a new Ask button that lets you submit prompts related to the content.

For example, you could ask what the video is about or request something more specific, such as listing Geekbench scores mentioned in a smartphone review.

Google also says you can press the microphone button on your TV remote to activate the conversational AI tool and ask questions directly, in addition to selecting the Ask icon. For now, however, the feature is limited to a small group of users.

This rollout comes shortly after YouTube experienced a major outage that left users seeing blank homepages and error messages. Alongside this AI experiment, YouTube is also testing a feature that reduces notifications from channels you rarely watch or interact with.

Android Central's Take

I haven't used the Ask feature much before, but I can see how it could be useful, especially for someone like my granddad who enjoys asking follow-up questions while watching travel vlogs or recipes. Hopefully, Google expands this to more users soon

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium announces an AI-generated playlist feature is arriving for on its app, and Music Premium users are included, too.
• Users can use this by tapping "new" in the Library tab and tapping "AI Playlist" to begin chatting with the AI.
• YouTube introduced "taste match" playlists for Music users last year, as well as an AI test for playlist artwork.

YouTube's rolling out an update for its Premium users across the board that adds a new AI feature for playlist creation.

The platform announced its update via an X post, stating that YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscribers will soon find "AI Playlists" available in the app. From your Library tab, YouTube states users can navigate to the plus icon (New) to find an AI Playlist option available to interact with. The app will simulate a chat thread with the AI, letting users instruct the bot on what they want it to create.

After a brief moment, the AI will provide its results. Users can then save that playlist or, what's also likely, redo their instructions for something more refined.

YouTube adds that users can also use their voice to speak to the AI, rather than typing out their request. The post adds that users can "instantly turn an idea, mood or genre into a personalized playlist using our new AI playlist feature." The rollout still appears to be quite slow for Premium and Music Premium users, as many in the X thread haven't seen it yet.

Those who have gotten their hands on it are already critiquing the feature. Some users seem to want more personalization and customization (such as the ability to be more in-depth), while others are seemingly receiving the wrong set of music.

Musical genius

YouTube's slowly been ramping up the amount of AI present in its playlists for Premium users. Recent updates include "taste match," a feature that lets users combine their musical interests with others. These joint playlists are updated daily, and feature profile icons beside songs to show whose taste profile its come from. At times, you'll match, though there are times when you both might find something new.

Elsewhere, YouTube Music launched an AI-generative test for artwork creation. This artwork test was for playlists, giving users a way to customize the faces of their playlists. YouTube gave testers options such as theme, as well as the ability to edit descriptions to guide the AI in the right direction. This latest AI playlist generation update comes days after users noticed that YouTube Music removed lyrics from free users, locking them behind a paywall.

Android Central's Take

What you need to know

• Google has closed a loophole that let Android users play YouTube videos in the background without a Premium plan.
• The workaround relied on mobile browsers like Samsung Internet or Brave to enable background playback for free.
• Google says background playback is meant to stay exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers on mobile devices.

Google has officially confirmed that it is closing a loophole that allowed Android users to play YouTube videos in the background for free.

YouTube Premium offers several perks, including an ad-free experience, the ability to download videos for offline viewing, and background playback on mobile devices. Until now, however, many users have relied on a workaround to access background playback without paying.

Android users commonly used third-party browsers like Samsung Internet, Brave, or Vivaldi to open YouTube's mobile website and accessed background playback from there. Google has now confirmed that this workaround no longer works.

In a statement to Android Authority, Google confirmed that YouTube has been updated so non-Premium users can no longer access background playback through mobile web browsers. The company reiterated that background playback is intended to be exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers.

Early reports of the workaround breaking surfaced via PiunikaWeb, with users noticing that the feature had stopped working. Google has now confirmed that this behavior is intentional.

Now, when you play a YouTube video in a web browser using a non-Premium account and lock your device, playback controls disappear from the lock screen. You can't resume playback manually either. Even tapping the play button does nothing, as YouTube appears to be blocking background playback entirely on its end.

Android Central's Take

This move felt inevitable. Google has already been cracking down on extension-based ad blockers, and closing this loophole fits that broader approach.

While the company is within its rights to reserve the feature for YouTube Premium subscribers, background playback still feels like a basic feature. Even as a Premium subscriber myself, I know plenty of people who relied on this loophole, and its removal is definitely going to sting.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium is reportedly sending emails to subscribers about a 40% discount on a Pixel 10 series device for the Google Store.
• Consumers have until December 31, 2025 to grab their unique code and checkout.
• Earlier this week, Google knocked the Pixel 10 Pro down by $250; however, "select" Google Play Points members can grab an extra $200 off.

It's the holidays, and while everyone else has been getting in on the deals, so is YouTube Premium for Pixel phones.

Late this week, YouTube Premium reportedly began emailing its subscribers information on how to take advantage of a huge Pixel phone deal (via 9to5Google). Per the publication, the email features a "unique code" that Premium subscribers can input for a whopping 40% discount on a Pixel 10 series phone. The service highlights that users can "enjoy all the videos and music" they love, which is just a nod to its own online content.

The code that YouTube Premium is dishing out is to be used on the Google Store when checking out with a Pixel 10 series model in your cart.

According to 9to5's diligent math, this discount would knock the Pixel 10 Pro XL's price down from $1,199 to ~$770. There are likely taxes involved there for your place of residence, so keep that in mind. That's not all, as YouTube Premium's holiday wishes come with a warning: this deal won't last for long. Subscribers only have until December 31 to take advantage of this 40% discount on Pixel 10 phones.

That leaves us with a week and six days to get to it. Furthermore, 9to5 reports that not all subscribers are receiving this email yet. It also seems that YouTube is focusing on those who are truly subscribed, potentially leaving out those on a free trial or something similar.

Get those Premium perks

This isn't the only Pixel 10 series-related discount to float around this December. Early this week, Google Play Points members got an extra $200 off the Pixel 10 Pro on top of Google's pre-existing $250 discount. The additional discount knocked the device down to $549 on the Google Play Store. This deal, while appealing, was only gifted to "select" Play Points members. Users are able to check their eligibility via the Play Store Perks tab.

Much like this YouTube Premium discount, users shouldn't wait if they're interested. The Play Store Points deal runs from December 15 to December 27, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

In other news, Google is working on some damage control for consumers with a Pixel 9 Pro. Some consumers encountered faulty displays with the model, so Google is offering free repairs through its extended repair program. This covers devices three years post-purchase date to mitigate the frustrations users have faced.

What you need to know

• YouTube is testing a feature that lets users customize Home feed suggestions using an AI-style text prompt.
• The new Your Custom Feed option will appear next to Home for users included in the experimental rollout.
• Users will be able to enter prompts to request more specific content, and YouTube will adjust recommendations accordingly.

YouTube seems to be testing a new feature that would let users tweak the kind of suggested content they see on the Home tab by allowing them to input the feed they want through what appears to be an AI prompt.

Currently, when you open YouTube on the web or your phone, you're taken to the main Home tab that shows a feed of suggested videos based on your watch history, likes, subscribed channels, and sometimes a video you left unfinished.

This feed is generated in real-time by an algorithm that depends on many factors. Currently, there's no straightforward way to tell YouTube what content you prefer, apart from liking videos or watching similar ones.

It appears that to understand users better and offer more accurate suggestions, YouTube will soon let people specify what kind of videos they'd like to see on the homepage.

YouTube might soon let you tune your video suggestions using AI

As first spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube will debut an experimental feature called "Your custom feed". According to YouTube, this will let you tweak your Home recommendations "by entering a single prompt."

We don't yet know how the feature looks, but based on YouTube's forum post, if you're part of the experiment, you'll see a new Your Custom Feed button next to Home.

When you enter that section, you'll be able to adjust your recommendations by entering a prompt. YouTube will, presumably, use AI and its existing algorithm to recommend more videos based on what you ask.

So, for example, I'd be able to tell YouTube to show me more Chelsea or soccer-related content, and it should recommend more of those videos. At least in theory, that's how it's expected to work, but we haven't seen any reports of how the feature looks or functions yet.

We'll keep an eye out for when the new YouTube experiment starts rolling out, but for now, it seems extremely limited. Until then, you can try the new DM feature that YouTube has started testing in a few regions.

What you need to know

• YouTube TV users receive $20 credits due to Disney Channel unavailability.
• Claim your credit via YouTube TV's desktop website in simple steps.
• YouTube TV and Disney remain in negotiations, affecting channel access.

YouTube TV has begun issuing $20 credits to subscribers as Disney-owned channels countinue to be inaccessible. This follows initial $10 credits, marking a significant commitment from Google amid subscriber frustrations over channel availability.

Disney-owned channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX, and National Geographic, were removed from the platform after the October 31, 2025 deadline.

The company even started crediting some users with a surprise $10 amount last week, but that rollout was limited and less than what YouTube TV initially promised. Thankfully, it seems the full $20 credits are now rolling out.

As reported by TechCrunch, YouTube TV subscribers can now get $20 in credit applied to their next billing statement. The company is also sending emails to all subscribers explaining how to claim it, but if you haven't received the email yet, here's how:

Go to YouTube TV's desktop website on a web browser. Once there, click your profile image in the top-right corner and select Settings. Then scroll to the bottom and hit Updates.

Inside, click Disney Content, where YouTube TV mentions that "Disney channels, including ABC and ESPN, are currently unavailable," acknowledging how frustrating this is and adding that the company "deeply appreciate[s] your membership."

"That's why we're offering you a one-time $20.00 credit," reads the page. To claim it, hit the Claim credit button at the bottom, after which you'll see a dialog box saying "$20 will be applied toward your next bill." That's it. If you're billed through Google Play, the notice says the "credit will be applied automatically."

This comes as YouTube TV and Disney remain in a dispute, with both companies failing to reach an agreement. Popular channels continue to be unavailable on YouTube TV, though the company says that once a deal is reached, channels will be restored within hours. Until then, you can claim your credit in the meantime or sign up for other alternative services.

What you need to know

• YouTube TV users are getting $20 credits from Google as Disney-owned channels stay unavailable.
• The credit applies to the next billing cycle and can be claimed through YouTube TV's desktop website.
• Some users earlier received $10 credits, but Google is now rolling out the full promised $20 amount.

If you're a YouTube TV user, you can now get $20 back from Google as Disney channels continue to remain unavailable on the platform.

Google promised $20 credits to YouTube TV users when Disney-owned channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX, and National Geographic, were removed from the platform after the October 31, 2025 deadline.

The company even started crediting some users with a surprise $10 amount last week, but that rollout was limited and less than what YouTube TV initially promised. Thankfully, it seems the full $20 credits are now rolling out.

As reported by TechCrunch, YouTube TV subscribers can now get $20 in credit applied to their next billing statement. The company is also sending emails to all subscribers explaining how to claim it, but if you haven't received the email yet, here's how:

Go to YouTube TV's desktop website on a web browser. Once there, click your profile image in the top-right corner and select Settings. Then scroll to the bottom and hit Updates.

Inside, click Disney Content, where YouTube TV mentions that "Disney channels, including ABC and ESPN, are currently unavailable," acknowledging how frustrating this is and adding that the company "deeply appreciate[s] your membership."

"That's why we're offering you a one-time $20.00 credit," reads the page. To claim it, hit the Claim credit button at the bottom, after which you'll see a dialog box saying "$20 will be applied toward your next bill." That's it. If you're billed through Google Play, the notice says the "credit will be applied automatically."

This comes as YouTube TV and Disney remain in a dispute, with both companies failing to reach an agreement. Popular channels continue to be unavailable on YouTube TV, though the company says that once a deal is reached, channels will be restored within hours. Until then, you can claim your credit in the meantime or sign up for other alternative services.

What you need to know

• YouTube's new age verification rollout is mistakenly flagging some adult users as minors.
• Many users on Reddit report being misclassified, with YouTube asking them to reverify their age.
• The AI-based verification system seems unreliable despite aiming to protect minors and follow laws.
• Affected users can manually verify with ID, credit card, or selfie.

YouTube has started rolling out age verification for users in some regions. However, the system seems to be failing for some users, mistakenly flagging some adults as kids.

As spotted by Android Police, YouTube has begun a second wave of age verification rollout for users in the U.S. However, the system, even though Google has implemented its various methods of age verification, seems to be flagging some adult users as underage.

Several users have taken to Reddit to report that they have been falsely classified as minors even though they are not. For those affected, YouTube shows the warning, "We've changed some of your settings. We couldn't verify that you're an adult." YouTube then gives the option to use the service with restrictions using a "Got it" button or reverify their age using "Verify age."

Some users can't prove they're adults to YouTube

Literally turned 18 and my YouTube account got flagged for being a “minor”. from r/youtube

Users affected by this change seem to be quite frustrated. Some claim their account is more than 18 years old, while others say they're over 20 years old, yet YouTube is still flagging them as minors.

YouTube's intentions are good, as the system prevents minors from accessing inappropriate content, shows non-personalized ads, and complies with legal requirements in various regions. However, the company is reportedly using AI-based age estimation, which seems to be falsely flagging users.

If you're affected by this change, the only thing you can do for now is reverify your age manually using an ID, credit card, or selfie. YouTube's age verification system isn't rolling out in all countries yet. For now, it's limited to regions like the U.S., the U.K., and some EU countries.

In addition to YouTube, Google also seems to be using a similar age verification system for the Play Store when downloading certain apps. However, for age verification in Play Store, Google gives another option to verify using a third-party service, which doesn't seem to be available for YouTube yet.

What you need to know

• YouTube is introducing an AI-powered feature that automatically upscales low-resolution videos.
• The new "Super resolution" label will mark upscaled videos, with an option to opt out for users and creators.
• YouTube is also adding immersive previews and contextual search features for TV users.
• Creators can now upload larger, higher-quality thumbnails with the new 50MB file size limit.

YouTube is rolling out a new feature that will automatically upscale all videos using AI.

There was a time when most videos uploaded were just 240p. Even today, many creators still upload only in 1080p. For those pixel peepers out there, Google is now rolling out a new YouTube feature that automatically upscales low-resolution videos to higher resolutions.

For now, YouTube has announced that it will begin upscaling videos uploaded below 1080p from SD to HD resolution. Later, the company plans to upscale videos to 4K. Videos enhanced using YouTube's AI will be clearly marked as "Super resolution" to indicate upscaling.

YouTube also notes that both creators and viewers will be able to opt out if they prefer not to watch upscaled content. The company will keep the original files and resolutions intact.

It was initially reported that these upscaled videos would be available only on the YouTube app for TVs, but the company confirmed to Bloomberg's Chris Welch that the feature is coming to all YouTube platforms, including smartphones and web, alongside TVs.

AI upscaling is coming to YouTube across all devices

For TVs, YouTube is also adding some nice tweaks to enhance the experience. Viewers will now see a more "immersive preview" when browsing channels on the home page. Additionally, YouTube is rolling out "contextual search on TVs," so when a viewer searches from a creator's channel page, videos from that channel will be prioritized at the top of results instead of getting buried among other content.

Another upgrade for creators is an increased file size limit for thumbnails. Previously, the cap was 2MB, but it has now been raised to 50MB, meaning you'll soon start seeing more detailed thumbnails from your favorite creators.

YouTube says the changes have started rolling out, and you should be able to see them on your screens soon. In addition, YouTube has also added new Like button animations and unveiled a major UI overhaul for Android and iOS.

What you need to know

• YouTube will pause Premium Family accounts shared outside the same household.
• Affected users get 14 days to confirm eligibility before losing Premium benefits.
• The crackdown follows Netflix's 2023 policy and aims to boost new plan sign-ups.

YouTube has long allowed users to share the Premium subscription with up to five members through the Premium Family plan. The plan, which costs about $23 per month, has been an easy way to split the subscription with others. However, it now looks like YouTube will soon crack down on users sharing accounts outside their household.

It seems YouTube has started notifying users who are part of a Family plan but not physically located in the same household as the family manager. The company has reportedly started sending emails saying their "YouTube Premium family membership will be paused" (via Android Police).

In the email, YouTube says Family plan members must be "in the same household as the family manager." If not, the membership will be "paused in 14 days." The email adds that affected users will "remain in your family group" and still watch YouTube with ads, but will "no longer have YouTube Premium benefits."

Notably, YouTube will allow users who receive this email to "confirm eligibility and maintain access" using a support form.

Not many users are affected just yet

If this sounds familiar, it's exactly what Netflix implemented in 2023, requiring all account users to be physically associated with the same household, and now YouTube seems to be following suit.

For what it's worth, YouTube has required family members to be in the same household since 2023, but until now, there were no consequences for ignoring it. Now, it looks like the company is cracking down on YouTube Premium sharing between users in different locations more seriously.

If you're doing the same thing, the good news is the crackdown doesn't seem widespread yet, with only a few people on X/Twitter and Reddit reporting such emails.

It's also worth noting these reports are surfacing only months after YouTube introduced YouTube Premium Lite and started testing a two-person Premium plan, so this could be a way for the company to push more sign-ups for different tiers.

What you need to know

• YouTube says that it is replacing its single "Trending" page with a new "Charts" for specific content categories (e.g., Music, Podcasts, Movie Trailers, Gaming).
• The change is believed to reflect how users currently discover trends via recommendations, search, and communities, moving away from one universal list.
• Alongside the suggested move, new features claim to help creators understand audience consumption and promote their content, comprising personalized ideas and a "Hype" feature.

Discovering content on YouTube is going to change soon as the streaming platform is making noticeable changes in the coming weeks, the company announced.

The YouTube team has announced in the accompanying community page post that YouTube will be removing the popular Trending page alongside the Trending Now list. Users can now find "most popular content" in specific categories on the new YouTube Charts.

Up until now, and ever since Google launched the Trending page back in 2015, viewers would find what was actually trending — a singular list of viral videos. However, the company notes that it is supposedly changing and users are said to be learning about trends through their recommendations, search suggestions, comments, and communities, rather than the Trending page or Trending Now list. And, this seemed to be the case for the last five years.

"So, we're making updates to better match how people discover trending content today by shifting away from one all-encompassing Trending list towards category-specific charts that we’ll continue to invest in over time," the YouTube team stated in the aforementioned post.

So, technically, instead of finding all types of content in a single Trending page, YouTube is diversifying through a new Charts feature. It means users will be able to explore charts for "Trending Music Videos, Weekly Top Podcast Shows, and Trending Movie Trailers."

The streaming platform is further assuring that more content categories to charts will be added over time. For instance, there will also be a Gaming Explore page for trending gaming videos.

Next to the new charts, users will also be able to see their personalized recommendations alongside non-personalized general content in the traditional Explore menu or through their subscription feed.

Helping Content Creators

Meanwhile, YouTube will also be helping creators to understand what's being consumed by their audiences. Additionally, the "Inspiration" tab in YouTube Studio claims to give creators personalized ideas to help spot the "next big thing" for their channel.

And, to help the creators get their content a boost and get discovered, YouTube's Hype feature comes into play. It is believed to let viewers "amplify fresh videos they love." Also, artists on the rise will have a dedicated spot on the "Music Explore page."

As mentioned, all these new YouTube Charts and features are supposedly taking effect in the coming weeks.

What you need to know

• YouTube announced the roll out of a new experimental feature: AI-powered search results carousel for Premium users.
• When searching on YouTube, some queries may return a "Highlight" with AI-generated titles, descriptions, and clips that should help find your answer.
• This test is arriving on Android and iOS only, and lasts until July 30.
• YouTube adds that it's also extending its conversational AI test to some non-Premium users.

YouTube is in the process of rolling out a new AI-powered feature for its subscribers that will surely look familiar.

Announced in a blog post, YouTube states its Premium subscribers will soon notice the platform's new AI-powered carousel in search results. The post states this new carousel will contain suggested "videos and topic descriptions" based on your query. It's also good to note that not every query will return this AI-powered highlight (kind of like something more Google-related).

In its Short, YouTube states Premium users need only pose a query to the platform, like "best beaches in Hawaii."

The carousel will be marked by Google's classic AI star with "Highlights" as its title. Beneath that, users will find a highlighted video clip, as well as several subsequent video thumbnails that will help enhance the information. Users can tap on these thumbnails to see a short clip play; however, tapping the clips opens the video in full on that creator's channel.

More than that, every clip is given its own AI-generated title and description. These should be relevant to your query, with YouTube stating these descriptions will "show how it matches your search." Ideally, these text boxes should hold useful insights about places you're interested in seeing or products. It's a good rule of thumb to remember that features like this can slip up at times, so be wary of that.

YouTube gets some AI lovin'

YouTube adds that this AI search results carousel is running from today (June 26) to July 30 for Premium users. However, you'll only be able to try this out on your Android or iOS mobile device.

The platform also highlighted that it's expanding its conversational AI test to some non-Premium users in the U.S.

Setting that aside for now, YouTube's AI search results carousel is highly reminiscent of Google's AI Overviews. Each is designed to give quick, bite-sized information to users depending on the query, as the AI can't fulfill everything with an overview. On one hand, it seems like a no-brainer that Google would bring some of its AI into YouTube, like AI Overviews. Either way, YouTube's been going down this AI road for a while now, slowly but surely.

That conversational AI test for Premium users kicked off late in 2023. YouTube placed a new "Ask" button alongside the thumbs up/down buttons under videos. Users would see a few suggested actions, like "Summarize the video," "tell me more about the topic," and "recommend related content." As always, users retain their ability to write their own questions about the video with the AI. YouTube has also started venturing into AI-generated music, too, for Shorts creation.

YouTube Premium Lite has been a welcome escape from the growing, steaming pile of "authentic" influencer ads for shady crap I've seen on YouTube in the past year. I plan to stick with my Lite subscription for the long haul. And only one thing would make it better: if Google worked Lite into its group and annual membership plans.

YouTube is apparently testing a couples' Premium membership in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, a nice two-person middle ground for people who can't take full advantage of the Family subscription for five people.

It could take months or years for this promotion to reach the U.S., if it comes here at all. But even if it does, Google has thus far only offered group rates for the full-price Premium plan with YouTube Music and all the bells and whistles.

My fiancée and I both stream way too much YouTube every day, from her Critical Role and cat videos to my Let's Plays. But no one else in our respective families cares all that much about YouTube, so a $23/month family Premium plan felt like overkill.

But a YouTube Premium Lite two-person plan? That we could easily fit into our budget! So I can only hope Google decides to offer a wider range of unconventional family plans soon.

YouTube Premium Lite lets me stick to my guns

I don't have official stats on YouTube ad frequency, but ever since I let my Premium subscription lapse after the 2023 price hike, it has sure felt like Google has piled in more ads per video in the past year than I ever remember seeing.

I still tense up when I click a thumbnail, my brain trained to expect 5–15 seconds of garbage as I wait frantically for the Skip ad pop-up. Skip ahead a minute? That's usually an ad. Pause the video for five minutes to check on my screaming cat? Time to auto-reload the page with a fresh ad!

That's why Premium Lite has been such a simple joy, easily worth the $8/month.

I let my original Premium subscription lapse because I couldn't justify $14/month to remove ads when I already had another preferred music app. It didn't matter how good YouTube Music was; I just wanted the choice to bundle it in or not.

When I made this argument, I usually got one of two responses: I was an idiot for not switching to YT Music — even my managing editor bullies me about this — or I was a moron for not using Brave, Pie, NewPipe, or other workarounds to avoid ads for free.

Google making Premium Lite available felt like validation; clearly, I wasn't alone in wanting this option, and I was right to cancel my sub until Google let me pay for what I needed and nothing else. The only thing I really miss is having background play — and I can live without it — and downloadable videos.

As for ad blockers or ad-free browsers, yes, I'm aware that they exist. But I disabled my AdBlock years before YouTube started punishing people for using these methods.

I didn't think much about it during my college days, but once I had a full-time job, I felt pretty conflicted about using a loophole that stopped the YouTubers I liked from getting paid for their work. Plus, my favorite creators apparently earn much more from my Premium views than from ad revenue, so it feels good to support my favorite channels more directly.

Waiting for more Premium Lite sub options

Now I'm just hoping that Google eventually offers a Premium Lite annual subscription, maybe for $79.99/year instead of $95.88 total with a monthly sub. After that, Google should move on to two-person and family Premium Lite plans.

Google bundled Premium and YouTube Music to get families hooked on both, but it means families already invested in Spotify Premium Family or Apple One Family won't give Google money because it means double-dipping.

A Premium Lite family or couple plan would be more tempting as a standalone, and once Google hooks a family, it's much harder to unsubscribe because all your freeloading family members will complain. So it should benefit their bottom line, too.

Make these new Premium Lite plans happen, Google! In the meantime, I'll keep happily paying for myself.

What you need to know

• YouTube is rolling out a special subscription tier just for select users in  India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
• With this tier, users can share their premium subscription with one other person in their household.
• This move is set to increase the adoptability of the otherwise expensive Premium tier.

YouTube seems to be finding new ways to increase its premium subscribers. According to a new report, it looks like the streaming platform has piloted a new subscription tier in India, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. This allows users to share their premium subscription with another household member, as opposed to having two subscriptions in the same house. (first reported by MoneyControl)

According to the publication, the two-person Premium subscription tier is being offered in India at a monthly cost of Rs 219, while the Music Premium subscription tier is available at Rs 149 per month during the pilot.

The prerequisites for this are that the two people sharing this subscription should be 13 years or older, have a working Google account, and most importantly, they should be a part of the same Google family group (Google lets you create a virtual family group to share services).

However, it will only allow two people to share the YouTube premium subscription as opposed to everyone else in that group.

YouTube told the publication that it is "experimenting with new ways to provide greater flexibility and value to our YouTube Premium subscribers, including offering a two-person Premium plan option, allowing two people to share a subscription at a reduced cost.”

This move could make it feasible for more people to adopt the premium subscription, specifically between couples, roommates, or family members in the same house, instead of paying for the same subscription twice, which comes up to Rs 298 (149 *2). That would cost almost the same price as YouTube Premium's Family Plan, where six people get to share the subscription for Rs 299.

YouTube Premium has seen a steady price increase over the last two years in many countries across the world. India was also one of the markets that was hit by hike in prices. Rates went up anywhere between 12-60% based on the tire you've subscribed to.

During the most recent earnings call, Alphabet reported record first-quarter earnings, attributing some of it to YouTube's advertising, which brought in $8.93 billion. "Through all this growth, subscriptions are now a big part of the business. We continue to diversify subscription options," CEO Sundar Pichai said during the earnings call.

It remains unclear if this tier will expand to other countries across the globe, considering it would be beneficial and frugal for many with multiple streaming subscriptions. Android Central has reached out to Google about this and will update this article once we have more information.

What you need to know

• YouTube turned 20 recently, and it is bringing new features and some tweaks to its design on its TV app.
• YouTube TV members can experiment with building their own multiview, and this can be done with non-sports content as well.
• It is expanding its "voice reply" to comments feature to more creators across the board.
• The redesign of the YouTube app will also include a new look for its video player.

YouTube turned 20 this week and celebrating its two decade milestone, the streaming platform shared some fun facts about its inception along with latest features that are being testing and coming to users soon.

What began as a 19-second video back in 2005 has now evolved into a full-blown streaming giant, with over 20 million video uploads each day. YouTube has also become a hub for people to have conversations and comment, and react to all sorts of videos, whether they like it or not. According to the streaming platform, "in 2024, YouTube users averaged over 100 million comments on videos daily. And we discovered that last year, creators received comments from an average of 10 million viewers every day.”

That said, YouTube seems to be giving back to its avid users as well. In its blog post, YouTube said that in a few weeks, YouTube TV users can test out multiviews on their account. They can build their personalized multi-view window that showcases non-sports channels as well. Considering that YouTube is testing this feature out, YouTube says that it is starting "with a small group of popular channels and expanding in the coming months."

For its Premium users, the streaming platform is immediately rolling out 4x playback speed on mobile devices. This was being tested out in February and has now finally landed. More creators will have the ability to voice-respond to comments on their videos.

Furthermore, users can start creating their personalized radio station with the AI-powered tool called "Ask Music". You can speak or ask YouTube to create a playlist for you with "upbeat songs for a morning run," "calm jazz for studying," "80s-inspired indie," or even something more specific to your mood. Ask Music is available on iOS and Android for all YouTube Premium and YouTube Music users.

Lastly, the YouTube TV app is getting a full redesign this summer, the blog post added."Easier navigation, playback, quality tweaks, plus streamlined access to comments, channel info, and subscribing are heading to your screens," YouTube stated.

The company shared a quick glimpse of what the new UI would look like, featuring video from @LoFiGirl. The controls on the new UI are more spread out when compared to the current version. The channel, description, and subscribe buttons are on the left, the play/pause and next controls are in the center, making it more accessible and prominent. While the other controls, like settings and the like/dislike toggles, remain on the left of the screen, as seen above.

What you need to know

• YouTube is rolling out a Lite Premium plan for users in the U.S., which allows people to browse non-music videos ad-free.
• Costing $7.99 per month, this plan seems to be separate the existing YouTube Premium which costs $13.99, and YouTube Music.
• The streaming platform is said to expand its tier to other countries in the near future.

YouTube is basically splitting up its YouTube Premium tier and YouTube Music to bring a new ad-free subscription for those who don't use the app for music videos.

"We've focused on giving subscribers a variety of ways to enjoy their favorite content, and Premium Lite is the latest step in that evolution," YouTube stated in a press release.

The streaming platform added that it will finally expand its new ad-free tier, Premium Lite to users in the U.S. Google began testing Premium Lite first in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, and users who subscribed to it could see reduced ads on their app. This means the ad showed up as either a banner or before the video played, without interrupting their entertainment.

"With Premium Lite, users can enjoy their favorite content with fewer interruptions," YouTube said in the release.

When users subscribe to Premium Lite, they will get to watch the majority of the videos on YouTube like gaming, cooking, and news ie., any non-music videos will show up without ad interruptions at a minimal cost of $8 a month. However, they will have to give up the ability to download videos offline and background play. And here's what the new tier could look like:

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This Lite version could come as a significant downgrade for people on the usual Premium plan, but it could work out great for those who don't watch as many music videos with a free YouTube subscription. Additionally, it brings several Podcasts and playlists without any interruptions for those who primarily use YouTube Music Premium for the above, at a lower cost.

It is important to note that this tier was initially introduced in 2023 and was later discontinued in October of the same year as the company wanted to push users to get the Premium plan.

Talking about YouTube's Premium Lite, Android Central's Michael Hicks said he would definitely be signing up for it since, "It comes for about half the price it costs now, even if it means missing out on offline downloads and other experimental, Premium-only features like 4X-speed videos and higher-quality audio."

While YouTube says that users will start seeing this option pop up today, it seems like it is yet to show up for Android Central's team based in the U.S. However, Google says it won't be restricting this rollout to the U.S. and will make this tier available to all users in other pilot countries as well.

What you need to know

• A new YouTube Premium Lite plan will be announced for users in the U.S., Australia, Germany, and Thailand "soon."
• Unlike YouTube Premium, which bundles YouTube Music with ad-free videos and other perks, Premium Lite will only remove ads from non-music videos.
• This tier likely won't include other premium perks like offline downloads.
• The article doesn't discuss Premium Lite pricing, but half the current cost ($13.99) is probable.

Google is allegedly planning to bring back its Premium Lite subscription after axing it in 2023. You'll no longer have to pay full price for both YouTube Premium and YouTube Music to avoid ads while binging YouTube playlists and podcasts.

According to a source "familiar with the plans" at Bloomberg, the YouTube Premium Lite package "will be announced soon in the U.S., Australia, Germany, and Thailand."

"As part of our commitment to provide our users with more choice and flexibility, we've been testing a new YouTube Premium offering with most videos ad-free in several of our markets," a YouTube spokesperson told the site. "We're hoping to expand this offering to even more users in the future."

Google began testing Premium Lite late last year in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, though not the United States. Users would see "limited ads" — meaning ads before music videos and ad banners on the website — and they'd no longer have access to certain YouTube Premium perks like background play and offline downloads.

The vast majority of YouTube content would be ad-free, however. And the dip in cost from €12.99 to €5.99 — or from A$23 to A$12 — made these trade-offs very tempting for users who already pay for another expensive music service, such as Spotify or Apple Music, or who don't watch many music videos.

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Now, based on this breaking report, it appears that U.S.-based YouTube power users will have the choice to spend about half as much as before for ad-free content. Bloomberg's source didn't share a price, but the $6–8 range seems likely given its test price in other countries last year.

"This new tier, if widely adopted, could make subscription revenue a larger and more significant part" of YouTube content creators' revenue than ads, Bloomberg suggests.

Google has pleasantly surprised me with this move

Last year, I wrote a controversial post claiming that Google made a mistake with YouTube Premium by coupling it with YouTube Music with no alternative, noting that paying to remove ads is, by itself, not something that should cost $14/month and that bringing back a Premium Lite plan would solve this problem.

The comment section was less than kind to my argument, calling it ridiculous, half-baked, and so on. It didn't matter that most other streaming services only charged about $6 to remove ads because they weren't free like YouTube. YouTube Premium was worth the value to them, content needs to cost money, and I was cheap and whiny for arguing otherwise.

A less hostile response came from a YouTube rep at the time, who contacted me to clarify that Google wasn't done with Premium Lite, even though they'd shut down this price tier almost a year prior and had no public plans about it. That sounded promising.

Now, almost a year later, it appears that I'm getting exactly what I wanted: ad-free YouTube for about half the price it costs now, even if it means missing out on offline downloads and other experimental, Premium-only features like 4X-speed videos and higher-quality audio.

Assuming Bloomberg's report is accurate, and YouTube Premium Lite really does launch soon in the U.S. for about half the price of YouTube Premium, I'll be a day-one subscriber. It'll no longer feel like an irresponsible subscription, given that I already pay for a family music bundle on another platform.

More generally, by making this choice, Google will increase its total number of subscribers, even if its YouTube Music subscriber count decreases. It'll be interesting to see whether YouTube Premium Lite expands to more countries or remains limited to the current four. And hopefully, unlike the last time, Premium Lite will stick around for a while.

What you need to know

• YouTube Music is likely to see some redesign for its Now Playing screen.
• The music streaming service could shift the popular audio/video switcher from top to bottom right below the playback controls.
• The redesign could include the rearrangement of playback controls and other "like," "comments, " and "save" buttons.

YouTube Music has many convenient features. The music streaming service blends seamlessly with its sibling YouTube with a tap on the single interchangeable button right above the album cover on the Now Playing screen. New evidence, however, indicates that the feature is likely shifting.

As spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube Music might soon replace the audio/video switcher with a new native button right above the “Up next”, “Lyrics”, and “Related” tabs. The new “video” button will sit right alongside the other popular like/dislike, comments, and save buttons. For the uninitiated, the music streaming service introduced the feature in 2019, which lets users switch between song and corresponding video without pausing the playback.

The latest shifting of the switcher icon makes the Now Playing screen top pane settle with just the cast icon. Also, the new change appears to be part of a redesign spotted back in November 2024. It makes the aforementioned like, comments, and save buttons next to the new video button appear right below the playback controls as opposed to the current scenario where those buttons stay on top of the playback controls.

The redesign rollout still needs to be determined even though it was spotted more than a couple of months ago. Some of the YouTube Music users on Reddit have also noticed the changes. Per the post’s opinions received, users feel the pill-shaped audio/video switcher up top appears more pronounced — although having it right below the controls is handy to reach.

Some other users also point out that having the cast button positioned below the playback controls is more handy than the audio/video switcher. Since the music streaming service appears to be testing the redesign, it could be further changed by the final official rollout.

In other news, YouTube has recently rolled out experimental features for its premium tier users. The notable ones amongst them include the ability to watch a YouTube video at 4x speed. Then there’s another nifty feature dubbed Jump Ahead, which should help users jump to their favorite content even faster.

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What you need to know

• Google Pixel 9a is tipped to have an earlier launch than the Pixel 8a — likely in March.
• Consumers are also expected to get goodies like Fitbit and YouTube Premium for six and three months, respectively.
• Additionally, users may receive a Google One subscription for three months.

Pixel 9a happens to be the next product launch from Google happening this year. Although the launch timeline is rumored to be earlier than before, new information indicates that the Pixel 9a buyers are in for a treat with freebies.

Android Headlines has learned that the potential Pixel 9a buyers would be getting freebies from Google, which include a Fitbit Premium subscription for six months and, a YouTube Premium subscription for three months. Additionally, users can also expect a Google One subscription for three months.

While it sounds familiar to the goodies offered with the purchase of the Pixel 9 series, users need to remember that they won’t be getting the popular Google One’s AI Premium Plan.

It is always encouraging to see Google giving such goodies for its Pixel phone buyers irrespective of the pricing and the segment they fall in. Pixel 9a, meanwhile, falls under the mid-range segment. The device is already tipped to cost $499, the same as the predecessor, Pixel 8a, for the base 128GB variant.

However, the larger 256GB storage option is expected to see a hike of $50, making it $599 instead of $559 from the previous iteration for the same storage variant.

As for the expected specifications of the Pixel 9a, it will likely feature a 6.28-inch 120Hz refresh rate display. The device will have a familiar design featuring rounded corners. The signature camera bar famous for the Pixel lineup might see a departure this time, as the Pixel 9a might be featuring dual cameras (rumored 48MP primary lens coupled with 13MP secondary sensor) flushed into the back of the panel — as seen on several leaked renders and hands-on images ahead of the launch.

The device underneath is further predicted to have a Tensor G4 chipset as seen on the Pixel 9 series, and the battery capacity is expected to be 5100mAh. The color options of the device could include Porcelain, Obsidian, Iris, and new Peony. Lastly, the device is tipped to have an earlier launch than before, likely next month, notes Android Headlines.

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What you need to know

• YouTube has new experimental features for its Premium tier users.
• The prominent ones include the ability to watch a YouTube video at 4x speed.
• Jump ahead is another nifty feature in the works, which should help users jump to their favorite content faster.

YouTube has great perks for users who subscribe to its Premium tier subscription. Users can avoid ads, use YouTube Music, and much more. Other than the already available ones, the company allows users to test some new upcoming or experimental features, and the video streaming platform already has a bunch of them.

YouTube currently allows users to watch content at speeds ranging from 0.25x, 0.5x to 1.75x and 2x. It adds convenience to users who want to finish the video soon or take it slow per their requirements and it is especially beneficial when listening to podcasts, for example.

However, the streaming giant’s latest experimental feature now allows users to adjust speeds for up to 4x. The fine-tuning of speeds is currently available for mobile handsets like Android phones and iOS devices, and not on the web just yet.

Needless to say, the experimental feature is only for YouTube Premium users. It is still unclear how exactly the 4x speeds would be useful while watching a video, and the only reason we think of is perhaps to finish the video or skip to the preferred part 2x faster than the currently available speeds. The aforementioned mobile handset users can use this experimental feature until February 26.

When it comes to skipping content, Jump Ahead is another interesting experimental feature that “enables viewers to get to the content they care about faster.” It is a new floating button to get to your favorite content even faster and is now available on the web. However, the clock’s already ticking on this feature because the ability to experiment with this feature for YouTube Premium users is ending on February 5.

The other notable experimental features that are available include a high-quality audio feature, which lets users listen to the best quality audio for the eligible music videos on the platform. The high-quality audio here translates to 256kbps (via The Verge) and is available for users on iOS and Android until February 22.

Further, iOS users can experience YouTube Shorts video in picture-in-picture mode when switching between apps just like regular YouTube video – and it is for YouTube Premium users only. Similarly, again on iOS, users can enable “Smart downloads” for YouTube Shorts, which allows them to automatically download shorts for offline viewing.

All mentioned experimental features for YouTube Premium users will perhaps add a better viewing experience than the service already offered at the moment. It still needs to be determined which of these will roll out officially in the coming weeks or months.

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This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, an immersive vibration feature was spotted on the Pixel Weather app, Google launches a Gemini app for iPhones, the Wear OS 5 update resumes on the Pixel Watch, YouTube Premium ditches grandfathered pricing for subscribers, and the RedMagic 10 Pro series is here.

Feel the rain with Pixel Weather

Read more here.

Pixel Weather launched with the Pixel 9 series, and now users are discovering an Immersive Weather Vibrations feature for the app. It's a fun little setting that brings your weather to life by adding subtle vibrations that correlate with the animations in the app. For instance, if it's raining, the phone's haptics will kick in and mimic the pitter-patter of rain falling onto the device, matching up with the animation within the app. Mishaal Rahman notes that it should also work with thunderstorms and snow, among other weather conditions.

The feature is available now on via a server side update and you can enable or disable it in the Pixel Weather settings menu. We've noticed it on our Pixel 9 models, and according to Android Authority, it's available on version 1.0.20240910.678970266.release.

Wear OS 5: Return of the update

Read more here.

After a bit of a delay, Wear OS 5 began rolling out again on the original Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2. The update, which initially started rolling out in September, includes a new app grid, the Pixel Recorder app, more camera controls, and more. However, users ran into issues with their smartwatches after installing the update, with devices stuck on a blank screen and effectively bricking their watches.

As a result of the problems, Google pulled the update as it worked to figure out what was causing the issue. Now, it looks like Google has found a solution, with the Wear OS 5 update arriving alongside the November security patch.

The Pixel Watch 3 has also received the November update, but it only brings the new security patch and bug fixes. Additionally, Google has stated that the next update for Pixel smartwatches won't arrive until March 2025, going away from what has been a relatively monthly cadence of updates.

Gemini gets the iPhone treatment

Read more here.

Until now, Gemini Live has been an Android-only affair, with iPhone users left out of the generative AI fun. Now, Google is throwing them a bone by launching the conversational AI bot within a new standalone Gemini app.

The experience is more or less what you'll get with the Gemini app on Android, with the standard Gemini experience, which is essentially a replacement for Google Assistant. However, now there's access to Gemini Live for more natural conversations, and it comes with access to Imagen 3 for high-quality image generation. Live will also appear on the Dynamic Island while in use and will connect to other Google apps, meaning you can ask it to play music, find directions, and more.

Of course, iOS users can still access the standard Gemini experience on the web or via the Google app, but Live is only available on the app. It's also possible to add it as a shortcut via the Action Button on newer devices like the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

No more early adopter pricing for YouTube Premium

Read more here.

Before YouTube Premium was a thing, there was the YouTube Music Key, which charged $7.99 for ad-free music streaming way back in 2014. Now, those early adopters who got to keep their pricing through the YouTube Premium launch are now being told they have to pay more.

Users in Europe have been receiving emails about the change, with a YouTube communications manager confirming the price change for legacy members, mostly within Europe, Central America, and South America. One user in Spain notes that the price of their YouTube Music Premium subscription is increasing to €10.99, matching current pricing for new members.

Still, legacy subscribers have a little time before the change happens and will keep their current pricing for another three months.

A powerful new gaming phone

Read more here.

Following the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite in October, Nubia has revealed its latest flagship devices to compete with the best gaming phones: the RedMagic 10 Pro and 10 Pro Plus. The phones are largely identical and only differ in their internal specs.

Both phones feature 6.85-inch AMOLED displays with 144Hz refresh rates, peak brightness of 2,000 nits, and a touch sampling rate of 960Hz for responsive gaming. Underneath are huge batteries, with 6,500mAh for the 10 Pro and 7,050mAh for the Pro Plus. Additionally, the Pro supports 60W wired charging while the Pro Plus supports 120W charging, which should help given the massive battery sizes.

The 10 Pro comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage. Meanwhile, the 10 Pro Plus gets 16GB or 24GB of RAM and double the storage sizes, utilizing the UFS 4.1 standard.

On the back are 50MP triple camera systems, with 16MP under-display cameras on the front, giving users an uninterrupted gaming experience with a more than 93% screen-to-body ratio. Both phones also come with impressive thermal management and cooling systems to handle all that power.

The phones are available now in China and will launch internationally on December 3.

More stories this week

Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:

• Gemini 2.0 may have just leaked, indicating a release could be imminent
• Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 might be flopping in the US, but its Special Edition is winning in Korea
• Boost Mobile is ditching the MVNO label and stepping up with its own 5G network
• OPPO's answer to the Galaxy S25 is launching globally on November 21
• Google Home tipped to integrate support for dangerous air quality sensors
• This three-year-old Pixel phone surprisingly receives one last update
• Google is reportedly prototyping the Pixel Tablet 2 with a valuable accessory
• Instagram commits to user experience by removing the annoying 'rug pull' feature
• Google's new app secures your chats with a twist
• Samsung might've clued us into the Galaxy S25 launch timeframe

What you need to know

• Early YouTube Premium subscribers with discounted rates will soon face price hikes, bringing them in line with the standard pricing.
• YouTube Music notified its European early adopters of an upcoming price jump to €10.99/month, matching the current standard price.
• U.S. legacy subscribers haven’t been notified yet, but a price hike is likely coming soon, following YouTube’s usual pattern of regional rollouts.

Long-time YouTube Premium subscribers enjoying discounted perks are in for a change—the platform is bumping all old plans up to the standard price.

Last year, Google kicked off a round of price hikes for YouTube Premium, and while most users felt the increase pretty quickly, early adopters kept their original lower rates. Now, though, it looks like this special pricing is finally biting the dust.

According to a report by The Verge, YouTube Music has notified its early subscribers in Europe about an upcoming price hike. These long-time users, who’ve been enjoying a lower rate, will soon be paying €10.99 a month—the current standard price for the service.

Back in 2014, early subscribers to YouTube’s "Music Key" streaming service got in for $7.99 a month, with similar pricing offered internationally at the time.

Google let these early subscribers keep their discounted rate even after the "Music Key" beta ended. Then, when YouTube Music relaunched in 2018, they got upgraded to full YouTube Premium—with ad-free videos—while sticking to their $7.99 or $9.99 rate. At that point, YouTube Music alone cost $9.99, and the full Premium package went for $11.99.

In 2023, both YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium saw a price bump, bringing their monthly rates to $11.99 and $13.99, respectively. Subscribers on the $9.99 plan had to switch to the new prices, though they were given a few months' grace period. Meanwhile, the $7.99 tier stayed the same.

Google is rolling out the price hike in stages, giving affected subscribers at least three extra months before the new rates kick in. The price change won’t show up on bills until March.

Although U.S.-based legacy subscribers haven’t received the price hike notice yet, it's safe to assume a similar change is coming. Given YouTube's habit of rolling out price increases region by region, U.S. users will probably see the same adjustment down the line.

What you need to know

• Google previously offered a lesser tier of YouTube Premium, called Premium Lite, available at a lower price.
• YouTube Premium Lite offered an ad-free experience to subscribers until the pilot program was canceled in 2023.
• Now, Google is testing a new version of Premium Lite with some ads in three countries.

If you want an ad-free experience on YouTube, Google wants you to pay for YouTube Premium. There's only one tier, with individual plans costing $13.99 per month. You can get family or student plans, too, but people looking for a cheaper version of YouTube Premium have been left wanting more. Although Google tested a "YouTube Premium Lite" plan for two years, the pilot program was shut down in 2023.

Now, there's a chance YouTube Premium Lite could be making a comeback — albeit in a different form. Over the last few days, users in select countries have spotted a Premium Lite subscription tier in the YouTube app. One user, Jonah Manzano, on Threads, shared a screenshot of the offering:

Post by @jonahmanzano

View on Threads

Later, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Android Authority that the company was testing "a different version of Premium Lite." The company added that the test was region-limited, and users in "Australia, Germany and Thailand may see the option to sign up," per the report. For now, it's too early to tell whether the YouTube Premium Lite plan will stick around at all, let alone come to other regions.

Since the original Premium Lite experiment was limited to select countries in Europe, North American users haven't yet had the option to pay for a cheaper YouTube Premium subscription. The original pilot program gave subscribers an ad-free experience while cutting out some of the extras that were included with the full Premium subscription — like background video playback, video downloads, and YouTube Music Premium access. It was priced at roughly €6.99, or around $7.50 in U.S. dollars.

However, the Premium Lite that Google is testing today is far from the bargain the original pilot program was. In exchange for about half the price of a full Premium subscription, users who sign up for the new Premium Lite plan will get a "limited ad experience." It doesn't completely remove ads anymore, and all the extras are still missing.

That's despite the Premium Lite test costing around double the price of the original, which has drawn criticism from users on social media, such as under the Reddit thread below.

Premium Lite coming back? from r/youtube

It's no secret that there are plenty of ads on YouTube. For users watching on a smart TV, there are fewer — but much longer — ad breaks. That's why many YouTube watchers want a way to experience the platform ad-free, and they have fewer options now that Google is amidst an ad-blocker crackdown.

YouTube seems to be following in the footsteps of other streaming services, like Netflix, which have ad-supported subscription tiers. However, YouTube is a free-to-access platform, so it's fundamentally different. It remains to be seen whether users are ready and willing to pay for a "limited ad experience" on YouTube with the Premium Lite test.

What you need to know

• YouTube has a new feature for Premium users in the testing phase.
• Dubbed Sleep Timer, it works similarly to what we have seen on the YouTube Music app.
• It allows users to pause the playback after a certain period of time, ranging from 10 minutes to one hour.

A sleep timer in an app is a lifesaver, especially for media apps. While plenty of music apps already have this handy feature, Google is now experimenting with it for YouTube.

The feature is currently available for YouTube Premium subscribers and works similarly to what we have seen on the YouTube Music app. Users can select any random video on YouTube, hit play, and head to the little settings icon where they can find the new "Sleep timer" option.

Digging in further gives them a few options, like the ability to select several minutes ranging from 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes. You can also sync it up with the video's run time.

This new feature is especially handy for those who love to watch videos or stream playlists before bed—it’s perfect if you tend to doze off mid-play. As 9to5Google notes, the best part is that it won’t mess up your watch history or mess with future recommendations from the platform.

As mentioned, the feature is currently experimental, and YouTube allows Premium subscribers to test it out until September 2.

You can find this feature on both the mobile and web versions of the platform. If the feedback is good—and it probably will be, given how useful this feature is—it’s likely to roll out for everyone soon.

YouTube has been testing several new features lately, with the most recent one being intended to help creators serve up less disruptive ads. The service is experimenting with picture-in-picture (PiP) mid-roll ads, where the content shrinks into PiP mode while the ad takes over most of the screen—or possibly the reverse. You can spot this new option under "Monetization" in the Live Control Room.

• Phone deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Samsung | Amazon | Verizon | AT&T

What you need to know

• YouTube is rolling out a few new features for its Premium subscribers, beginning with the "jump ahead" button when skipping through video content.
• Additionally, subscribers are picking up picture-in-picture support for Shorts for out-of-app viewing.
• YouTube also detailed a new test involving user "@" mentions in the comment sections, rolling out to a select number of creators.

YouTube Premium subscribers can expect a few new features to hit their devices, as well as some experimental adventures.

The platform started by detailing a new "jump ahead" feature Premium users can utilize when skipping through videos in a blog post. YouTube states that double-tapping your screen to skip forward a few seconds will display a "jump ahead" option. This button is said to take you "right where you want to go."

The jump ahead button can deliver users to those most exciting video moments through YouTube's AI software and view behavior. Premium subscribers in the U.S. on Android have this already, though iOS folks will pick it up in the weeks ahead.

YouTube's Shorts are quick bursts of content that the platform now lets users take anywhere with picture-in-picture support. Starting a Short in the app and swiping out to another will shrink the video on the side of your display. Shorts will appear vertically but in the same vein as watching a normal long-form video.

Users can tap the box outline to fullscreen the Short and return to the YouTube app.

The post adds that picture-in-picture support for Shorts has started to arrive for Android users.

Lastly, YouTube is raising awareness of a few of its current experimental features for Premium users, such as Shorts in Smart Downloads. The app will take into account your Shorts watch history and "automatically" downloads content it recommends for offline use. After starting its conversational AI test late last year, YouTube announced its return for Android Premium users.

The tool offers help in videos through the "Ask" button through summaries, topic information, and more. Additionally, Premium users can peruse YouTube's new watch page design changes.

The YouTube team then detailed an update on user feedback and requests, beginning with the storage problems. The service is looking into device storage-related problems regarding its download feature. Elsewhere, Premium subscribers can enjoy 4K content on phones, TVs, tablets, and the web. With an 8K option available for TVs, computers, and VR headsets.

YouTube highlights its planned development of easily accessible Premium controls and fixes the loss of videos in the queue. Moreover, the "Continue watching" function is on deck to be fixed to include videos stored in your queue.

Android Police spotted a test that's just getting underway that lets users mention others in a video's comment section. YouTube explained in its experimental notes that those in the test can type "@" when commenting. This will produce a list of channels (or handles) you can mention in your post. Clicking their name will turn it into a "clickable linked mention."

The ability to tag another person is rolling out to a limited selection of creators. However, YouTube stresses that everyone can interact with the linked handle when posted.

Update (June 20, 2:50 pm ET): Google has indirectly confirmed that it is tightening things up to make sure every YouTube Premium user pays the price for their region.

What you need to know

• Many YouTube Premium users are experiencing random cancellations, likely due to using VPNs for cheaper rates.
• A Reddit user confirmed with customer support that changes in their location led to their subscription being canceled.
• Customer service suggests affected users re-subscribe using their local address and payment method.

Several YouTube Premium users see their memberships randomly canceled, likely because they used a VPN to get a cheaper rate.

A recent thread on Reddit highlighted a wave of YouTube Premium subscriptions being axed. It appears that these cancellations are linked to users resorting to VPN services in order to score cheaper rates by taking advantage of regional pricing loopholes (via Android Authority).

YouTube offers a tiered pricing system for its Premium service to account for differences in global purchasing power. However, some users have been gaming it by using VPN services to fake their location and get cheaper rates. This trick undermines the fairness of YouTube's regional pricing model.

To illustrate the price disparity, a Premium subscription in Ukraine costs £2.30 per month, whereas it normally costs $13.99 per month in the US.

By exploiting regional pricing differences with VPNs, some users managed to get YouTube Premium for a fraction of the cost in their home market. Although the subscription worked fine after the initial VPN trick, Google now seems to be cracking down on this loophole in its pricing system.

In one case, a Reddit user contacted YouTube customer support about their canceled subscription. The response suggested that the user's location had supposedly changed from the one they used at signup.

Customer service also advised affected users to re-subscribe using their local address and a payment method from their region. This apparent crackdown seems to be aimed at enforcing regional pricing for YouTube Premium.

We've reached out to Google to confirm if the company is targeting VPN-sourced YouTube Premium subscriptions and will update this article once we hear back.

Notably, reports of subscription cancellations aren't limited to Ukrainian users who use VPNs. Users from multiple countries who used VPNs to score cheaper YouTube Premium subscriptions have reported cancellations as well.

To regain access to YouTube Premium, affected users need to re-subscribe using their verified location details.

Update

A YouTube spokesperson told Android Central in an emailed statement that the service has implemented stricter measures to ensure regional pricing compliance for YouTube Premium subscriptions.

"To provide the most accurate plans and offers available, we have systems in place to determine the country of our users," the spokesperson said. "In instances where the signup country does not match where the user is accessing YouTube, we're asking members to update their billing information to their current country of residence."

I'm certain Google execs think the YouTube Premium + YouTube Music bundle is generous and fairly priced. For some people, it's not.

It's nearly a year on since YouTube raised Premium's price from $11.99 to $13.99. From that point on, YouTube killed its short-lived Premium Lite experiment, ensuring you had to pay for Music in addition to Premium.

Google then ended its grandfathered YouTube Red plans at the beginning of 2024, so people used to paying $8 or $10 suddenly had their bills skyrocket. Finally, it spent this year finding every possible method of counteracting ad blockers.

I'm a bit late to the discussion. Since the price hike, I scrounged a year or so of free YouTube Premium thanks to free 3-month trials from various Android phones, tablets, and watches. Now that they've run out, I've grown accustomed to seeing an ad every 10 minutes or less, or if I pause too long and the page auto-refreshes, or if I scroll back to check something and hit an ad checkpoint. 

YouTube doesn't care how obnoxious the experience is for everyday viewers. It wants to annoy us into giving Google money and enhancing its bottom line. The problem is how much they charge. 

Let's do a little comparative exercise. Most streaming platforms now offer a low-tier ad option, followed by an ad-free upgrade. They all cost more than YouTube, a free service. But how much does each platform charge to remove ads, specifically?

• Prime Video ($3)
• HBO Max ($6)
• Paramount+ ($6)
• Peacock ($6)
• Netflix ($8.50)
• Hulu ($10)
• Disney+ ($10)
• YouTube ($14)

Streaming companies have the same mandate from shareholders to maximize profits, and they've all begun to alienate long-time customers by geolocking accounts. They're just as greedy for our money, in other words. And even they wouldn't charge an extra $14 for no ads. 

Edit: To clarify, I'm aware that you have to pay for these other services and that YouTube starts off free. Obviously, Prime Video is only a "deal" if you pay for Prime, and these services end up being more expensive than Premium overall. I'm specifically pointing out the one thing related to this article: removing ads. And Google charges more for that than anyone else, bundling in a lot more stuff to bring the total price closer to other services.

"Now hold on," I can picture YouTube CEO Neal Mohan saying, "Those don't give you a music streaming service in the bargain." And that's true! Most music streaming services cost about $11/month, including YouTube Music. So to spend only $3 more for no YouTube ads is eminently fair. 

This assumes, however, that you care about YouTube Music. And I don't. I had to use it while reviewing the Fitbit Charge 6 — which, annoyingly, blocks playback controls for every music app besides YouTube Music. Otherwise, I haven't gotten my money's worth. 

It's not that YouTube Music is bad. My coworkers swear by it, and its music recommendations aren't bad, if not quite as on point as what I've gotten from Spotify or Apple Music. I simply don't need it, as I have all of my MP3 files and playlists somewhere else! I could switch, but I dislike having that choice made for me.

Edit: Removing my mention of local files streaming. It's not that YT Music can't stream local files, it's that my coworker found that it struggled to load the files, making it unusable for him. Perhaps that's no longer an issue? Regardless, my main point — that not everyone needs another music streaming service foisted on them, no matter how good it is — was being lost.

Compare YouTube Premium and Apple One. Premium is $6 less per month, and some people might not care about Apple throwing in Arcade and a meager 50GB of iCloud storage. On the other hand, you aren't forced to pay for Apple One; you can subscribe to Music by itself, or TV+ by itself.

If I could sneak into YouTube's offices and send emails from Mohan's computer, I'd mandate a few changes. For instance, I'd offer an annual Premium family plan so that entertaining the whole family with endless streaming was more affordable. I'd also add a Google One bundle with ad-free YouTube, in addition to the current Gemini Advanced AI bundle. 

But those don't qualify as "mistakes," merely missed opportunities. Not expanding its $7/month YouTube Premium Lite outside of Europe was a mistake. 

If Google offered a slightly cheaper ad-free experience, it would have a heck of a lot more Premium subscribers than 100 million. Yes, that might temporarily decrease the flow of its money hose to shareholders, but it would bring in more people than Android power users in the long run — users who love YouTube but don't need another music platform. 

It could still try to upsell people to the main Premium tier with 4K videos, video downloads, background play, and Music. That's a fair amount of value to double the subscription cost! But leave it for consumers to choose, with a Lite option to open up long hours of streaming to more people. 

Instead, I'm certain Google will keep YouTube Premium bogged down with an inflated price to keep Music's subscriber numbers consistent. And since Premium is too expensive for some folks, they'll grit their teeth and endure videos oversaturated with ads.

You can still watch your favorite YouTube videos when your Wi-Fi or mobile data fails simply by downloading them. Sometimes, internet connection can be spotty or fail altogether, and saving them for offline viewing will give you a library of content to pass the time.

Whether you're watching videos on one of the best Samsung tablets or not, downloading YouTube videos is quick and easy. Even though streaming services aren't getting better, they still want you to pay for more content. But finding something to watch when your internet isn't working can be frustrating, so it's always a good idea to have a backup plan and videos to watch.

Note: To download YouTube videos, you must have a YouTube Premium subscription.

How to download YouTube videos to watch offline

1. Open the YouTube app on your device.

2. Find and open the video you want to download.

3. Tap Download in the menu that appears below the video.

4. If you don't have YouTube Premium, you'll see a prompt to get it, which is required to download videos. You can start the free trial or select Not now if you don't wish to proceed. If you give the Premium version a chance, you'll see a Subscribe button with information letting you know the day the free trial ends and how much you'll be charged after. YouTube will remind you that your free trial is ending seven days before the deadline.

5. If you have YouTube Premium, you’ll be given options for the resolution to download the video. Naturally, the higher the resolution, the more space the download will take up on your device and the potentially longer the video will take to download (though with good Wi-Fi or a solid cellular connection, this likely won’t be an issue). Choose the desired resolution and select Download.

6. Once selected, the video will automatically begin downloading, and you’ll see the download process as the arrow lights up.

7. Once downloaded, the download button will show Downloaded with a white checkmark beside it.

As noted, to download YouTube videos for offline viewing, like the top trending videos to watch during your commutes or a walk down memory lane with YouTube Music 2023, you need a YouTube Premium subscription, which is $13.99 a month. However, you can try it out for one month for free before committing.

Once downloaded, you have up to 29 days to watch the downloaded video. If you haven’t gotten around to watching yet after the timeframe expires, you can reconnect to a mobile or Wi-Fi network and download the video again (if it’s still available for offline viewing). If it is no longer available, it will automatically be removed from your device the next time you sync it. If any changes have been made to the video, they will be applied when you're online.

Once a YouTube video is downloaded, it resides locally on your device. That means it’s taking up valuable space, so it’s a good idea to delete it once you are done watching and no longer need it.

How to delete downloaded YouTube videos

Deleting the video is simple:

1. Tap your profile picture.

2. Swipe up and choose Downloads.

3. Tap the dots to the side of the video.

4. Tap Delete from downloads at the bottom.

What are Smart Downloads on YouTube?

Smart Downloads are recommended videos that YouTube automatically downloads so you always have something to watch. The downloads will stop when you're low on storage or disconnected from Wi-Fi. Based on your viewing habits, YouTube will automatically download videos you might like.

How does YouTube Smart Downloads work?

If the videos are not downloading, you can enable the feature by:

1. Tapping your profile picture.

2. Tap the cogwheel at the top right.

3. Go to Backgrounds & downloads.

4. Look for and toggle on the Smart downloads option.

As long as you're here, you can also make other adjustments, such as only downloading over Wi-Fi, adjusting how Playback works, and adjusting how much storage Smart downloads takes up and the quality of Smart downloads. You'll also see options for Delete all downloads and how much storage you have left. When you adjust the storage space the feature takes up by using the slider; you'll also see how much video time that is. For example, you set the storage limit to 1.5GB, and besides it, you'll see that that equals 11 hours of videos.

Keep downloading

It's easy to take the Internet for granted and think it'll always be there, but it's best to be prepared and have some YouTube videos to watch. If you're going to watch YouTube on your computer, get ready for a change since YouTube is testing a redesigned video player on the web.

Since YouTube Music is also part of the package, remember that it's rolling out a new Activity feed for Android and iOS. Thanks to this new feature, you'll know what your favorite artists are up to. YouTube Music has more to offer by teasing users with improvements to the podcast experience too.

What you need to know

• YouTube started cracking down on users watching videos with ad blockers in October 2023, preventing video playback if an ad blocker is in use. 
• Now, the platform is also taking steps to block third-party apps from circumventing ads, and videos might not play properly while using apps that attempt to avoid ads. 
• As YouTube has consistently done, it is urging people to subscribe to YouTube Premium if they don't want to watch ads.

YouTube's attempt to thwart ad blockers on the platform now covers third-party apps, as explained in a community announcement on Monday, April 15. The video streaming site first started to crack down on users employing ad blockers to avoid watching ads in October 2023 in browsers. If you tried to watch a video on YouTube while using an ad blocker, playback would be paused until YouTube was whitelisted or the ad blocker was disabled. However, for months, a few apps could get around ads using YouTube's API. 

That appears to be over, as YouTube says it is "strengthening our enforcement on third-party apps that violate YouTube's Terms of Service, specifically ad-blocking apps." A popular app that served as an alternative to watching YouTube ads was AdGuard, and some browsers include ad-blocking functionality as well. YouTube Vanced was another as well, before it shut down in 2022 due to legal reasons. 

While YouTube's ad blocker crackdown on the web featured a pop-up that clearly instructed users to disable their ad-blocking software, the platform's approach to third-party apps with ad blockers is more subtle. Users who try to watch a YouTube video on one of these apps might notice buffering problems that prevent playback. Alternatively, the YouTube API might show "the following content is not available on this app" as an error message.

"We want to emphasize that our terms don't allow third-party apps to turn off ads because that prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership," YouTube explains, "and Ads on YouTube help support creators and let billions of people around the world use the streaming service."

YouTube is once again pushing users who want an ad-free experience to subscribe to YouTube Premium. It costs $14 per month and, among other things, removes all ads on the platform. YouTube Premium subscribers can watch videos uninterrupted, but a portion of their subscription fee is still shared with creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

"When we find an app that violates these terms, we will take appropriate action to protect our platform, creators, and viewers," YouTube said. 

What you need to know

• After recently announcing YouTube Shorts nets over 70B daily views, YouTube is testing  Shorts in the recommended sidebar. 
• YouTube Shorts have started to appear in the recommended sidebar on the web for a limited number of accounts in the form of a carousel. 
• The new Shorts carousel takes up about two to three times the space of a typical YouTube video in the sidebar and can show up to three videos at once. 

YouTube celebrated the success of YouTube Shorts last week, sharing that Shorts get over 70 billion views per day in a blog post. YouTube might be trying to continue that growth by putting Shorts in new places, because it is testing a Shorts carousel in YouTube's recommended sidebar on the web. For some accounts, YouTube is showing up to three Shorts at a time in the sidebar instead of regular videos, as spotted by Android Police. 

The feature is far from widely available, and it may be limited to certain accounts in its early stages. Android Central tested YouTube on a few different devices, browsers, and YouTube accounts but hasn't spotted the Shorts carousel yet. In fact, Android Police was only able to spot the carousel on one of its writers' accounts. The expansion of Shorts to YouTube's recommended sidebar could be a small test and nothing more, so you might not ever end up seeing it. 

The new version of YouTube recommended shows one traditional video at the top of the list. Under that is the Shorts carousel, which displays up to three videos at a time. Since Shorts are obviously taller, they take up the space of about two or three horizontal videos. This has the potential to be visually jarring because the Shorts carousel is much larger than the horizontal videos. 

It's easy to ignore the sidebar when it is composed of many smaller videos. Still, when the Shorts carousel is much closer to the size of the currently playing video, that becomes more difficult. Perhaps that is the goal, and YouTube wants users to stop watching the now-playing video in favor of YouTube Shorts.

There doesn't appear to be a way to hide the Shorts carousel as of now. Entering theater mode doesn't completely remove the carousel. Instead, it simply moves it down under the widescreen video player. However, using theater mode does make the Shorts carousel less distracting, for what it's worth. 

A handful of social media companies are racing to win the vertical video space, and competition is fiercer than ever. As a potential TikTok ban takes shape in the U.S., alternatives like YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels have the chance to snap up market share. 

If you have the new YouTube Shorts carousel, you'll start seeing vertical videos in the recommended sidebar while watching regular YouTube videos. If not, you'll have to wait and see whether this UI element rolls out more widely. 

What you need to know

• YouTube Music for the Web is reportedly testing an offline download feature.
• The feature could work the same way as the YouTube Music app. 
• While some users can see the new interface, the functionality is still disabled.

YouTube Music for the Web could soon be implementing one of the most likable features for its users — the ability to have offline downloads.

While the YouTube Music app for iOS and Android devices already supports the offline download feature like most other music streaming services, this was long overdue for the web version. Since it doesn’t have a native app for the desktop, unlike Spotify and Amazon Music.

However, the latest findings from 9to5Google imply that YouTube might be testing the feature for some. Turning off the internet and opening the YouTube Music site in Google Chrome on the desktop showed the new “Downloads” tab, notes 9to5.

The new tab is found between the library and uploads section in the YouTube Music web version. Alongside, a new text, which describes, “Music and podcasts you download will appear here.” The page also provides a “download settings” option to help users clear all offline downloads whenever required.

The interface and process should likely work very similarly to what we have seen on the regular YouTube web version, as it also allows users to download content offline.

9to5 indicates the initial spotting of the yet-to-be-announced feature still needs to be determined, and some Reddit users were also able to find the aforementioned offline YouTube Music website; however, some indicate the ability to download still needs to be functional despite being able to see the option — same is the case with 9to5 findings as well. It means the expected feature is still in the works and that it could be a bug or part of an A/B testing from YouTube.

If you are a YouTube Music user, this would be a welcome addition whenever it rolls out. One can keep their offline download collection separate, featuring different content on their phones and desktops. 

Lastly, as 9to5 points out, regardless of the feature rollout, users should be subscribed to YouTube Music Premium to take full advantage of offline downloads whenever it rolls out to YouTube Music.

• Streaming deals: Disney+ | Max | Sling | Fubo | Peacock | Paramount+

What you need to know

• YouTube Music and Premium jointly celebrate 100 million subscribers.
• YouTube's music head, Lyor Cohen, acknowledged the platform's growth of 20 million members in a little over a year.
• Music and Premium have brought in several features over the past year, one of which deals with new ventures into AI-powered music and a conversational AI for videos.

YouTube Music and Premium are sharing the milestone of achieving 100 million subscribers.

The platform's initial celebration post stated that this number includes active trials for both platforms as we enter February. Lyor Cohen, global head of music at YouTube, stated in a follow-up post that this number results from a "20-million-member growth" in a little over a year.

YouTube Music and Premium are available in over 100 regions globally, with Cohen taking us back to 2015 during the former's inception. However, "Music" originally started as YouTube Music Key (2014), much like "Premium" was once YouTube Red up until late 2015.

Alphabet's Q4 2023 earnings report reiterated some of these points. The company's CEO, Sundar Pichai, stated, "YouTube is the key driver of our subscription revenues available in over 100 countries and regions. YouTube music and premium have real momentum."

The post highlights new features, like Samples, a new form of music discovery for the streaming service. YouTube Music's new tab is reminiscent of TikTok or Shorts, giving users quick previews of songs to get them hooked. From there, listeners can tap its album cover to view related music, add it to their playlist, or use the music to make a Short.

Another venture involves generative AI for Premium. The platform started testing its conversational AI capabilities with a limited group of testers in November. Those users would find an AI-powered "Ask" button beneath certain videos, enabling them to find answers about the video using their own or pre-made queries. The bot could summarize the video and offer similar content suggestions.

The test concluded on December 15 without knowing when the general public might see it.

Meanwhile, YouTube Music started on its own path with "Dream Track." The tool allows creators to craft AI music using iconic vocal samples without the legality of paying royalties.

What you need to know

• YouTube has extended its Premium and Premium Music services to ten new countries.
• A few of those countries got these services early this month.
• The move follows changes Google made when displaying ads on the platform.

YouTube is expanding its Premium and Music services to more countries, which comes as an extension to an earlier announcement made in the African region early this month.

As spotted by to 9to5Google, YouTube Music Premium alongside YouTube Premium is now expanded to regions including Algeria, Cambodia, Georgia, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Tunisia, and Senegal. Amongst these, Kenya, Senegal, and Ghana regions received these services as part of a rollout on December 5, per Google Africa blog post, bringing access to the music app to these countries.

The new addition makes these YouTube services available in 110 countries. The YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium subscriptions are available for both Android phones and iOS devices. The tiered pricing across some regions can be seen in the GIF above, which details how the pricing across platforms differs, with iOS handset users having to pay a little more over their Android counterparts.

The Premium tier across YouTube and YouTube Music is a valuable addition to users who rely on YouTube for videos and music. YouTube Premium offers users an ad-free video experience, background playback, and the ability to download videos for offline viewing. With YouTube Music Premium, users can experience ad-free music and offline downloads. Despite being pricy, plans give users significant benefits with the Premium services.

This is particularly beneficial now that Google is switching up how it displays ads on YouTube. The company recently announced that it's rolling out a new way to showcase ads on YouTube, meaning users without the subscription will watch fewer but lengthier advertisements. 

Aside from the usual benefits, Google has also offered its YouTube Premium subscribers significant discounts when purchasing Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in the U.S. region. 

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium is moving grandfathered accounts over to the new pricing plans.
• Older accounts that previously paid $9.99 or less per month will now need to pay $13.99 per month. 
• YouTube hiked up the price for its ad-free, premium plans by $2 from $11.99 per month in July. 

It looks like the immunity period is over for older YouTube Premium subscribers who were relieved from the price hike for YouTube’s ad-free premium service.

According to the folks at 9to5Google, YouTube Premium is emailing users with grandfathered accounts who are still paying the old rates to notify them that the new prices will apply to them starting January 2024.

The company recently jacked up the prices of Premium accounts for U.S. users back in July. However, at the time of the price hike, YouTube gave older subscribers — who were grandfathered in by Google Play Music or YouTube Red — some relief, giving them until December before the new rates would apply to them. 

This was due to YouTube wanting to show appreciation towards its legacy users. But now that time is up, and any grandfathered account owners will have to pay the new YouTube Premium prices once January comes around.

Since the price increase, individual YouTube premium accounts now cost $13.99 a month, which is a few shekels more than the pre-July rate of $11.99 a month. This means that grandfathered users who were paying $7.99 or $8.99 per month will soon have to cough more dough.

It’s worth noting that an annual YouTube Premium plan costs $139.99, which means that you would end up saving $27 if you choose to subscribe on a yearly basis instead of monthly. Alternatively, if you want to migrate away from YouTube Premium altogether, you can always cancel your subscription and subscribe to another music streaming service, such as Spotify Premium, which costs $10.99 per month for an individual plan and includes a free three-month trial. Of course, you'll now have to deal with ads in the regular YouTube app.

Either way, the immunity that grandfathered YouTube Premium users enjoyed from the price hike may be over, but impacted users have several options to reduce the impact on their bank accounts. 

What you need to know

• YouTube is opening testing in "early access" for Premium members to experiment with its conversational AI.
• The AI brings two tests: AI-powered summaries for comments and a new "Ask" option for video-specific questions, suggestions, and more.
• The platform is also bringing its higher enhanced 1080p HD bitrate to Android, more Premium benefits, and new badges.

YouTube is bringing its Premium users a few new toys to play with today as features arrive in an experimental capacity.

As detailed in a YouTube blog post, the company has begun testing new features for Premium members, including the platform's new conversational AI. It's explained that the AI can answer user questions, suggest related content, and more from a new "Ask" button beneath "select videos." Questions should, ideally, revolve around the video you're watching, and users will find a few pre-made prompts if they're unsure where to begin.

The second test for the AI involves summaries. While more for content creators, YouTube states that the AI can condense large comment sections from longer videos into bite-sized organized topics for such users to go into.

YouTube Premium's experimental page elaborates by stating the AI-powered "Ask" feature will only work for users 18 years or older in the Android app. This test, beginning today, will also run until December 15, and there are only a limited number of spots, so you should sign up fast. The AI's summaries work for users on Android and iOS, with its test run ending on December 5, although you can only test one new feature at a time.

Meanwhile, YouTube is expanding its coverage of video quality and convenience. The post states that the service's enhanced 1080p HD bitrate quality is now arriving for Premium members on Android, the Web, and smart TVs after its stint on iOS devices. This crispier viewing quality should automatically activate if your connection can handle it.

If not, users can find it by hopping into a video's Settings > Quality.

Back in April, YouTube brought its new "continue-watching" function to Android and iOS, letting users hop right back into the exact moment of a video if they left it. The company is now expanding this feature's use to tablets and smart TVs, so users can begin watching a video on their phone and continue it on those new devices. Continue-watching also works from mobile to laptops.

YouTube Premium also has additional incentives as the company has packed some new goodies into its offered benefits. Premium users can find claimable items such as an in-game loot bundle for Genshin Impact, a 3-month trial of Discord Nitro, a 3-month trial of a Walmart Plus membership, a 4-month trial of Calm Premium, and a 3-month trial of PC Game Pass.

To round things out, YouTube is letting Premium users show off their status with "Premium Badges." These badges are tied to various achievements users can obtain on the platform (available for those 18 and older). Also found within the benefits page, the trophy section will draw attention to how much music you've listened to and more.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium Lite is a cheaper alternative to Premium for some regions.
• It launched in 2021 in European countries but is reportedly getting axed.
• Unfortunately, YouTube Premium Lite Users cannot use the service after October 25, 2023.

YouTube Premium Lite has been a cheaper alternative to the streaming platform's original Premium subscription in certain European regions. It launched in 2021 and is likely to see the end of the day by next month.

YouTube has reportedly been sending emails (via The Verge) to its Premium Lite subscribers about pulling the plug on the low-cost tier service. The email notes that the service won't be functional after October 25, 2023.

It means these users will be left with the choice between watching YouTube with ads or going for a high-priced Premium subscription, which is €11.99 per month. For comparison, the Premium Lite plan launched two years ago for just €6.99 per month. 

The low-cost tier, however, only offered ad-free YouTube without the ability to offline downloads, background playback, and access to YouTube Music, as the original Premium tier does. For very limited users, Premium Lite has offered a watered-down ad-free YouTube for subscribers that did not need the extra perks.

Also, the Lite service has only been offered in select regions since the launch, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

Existing Premium Lite users will be offered a one-month free trial of YouTube Premium for those interested in shifting to high-tier service, which recently saw a price hike in the U.S. The offer is believed to be applicable for Premium Lite users irrespective of whether they subscribed to YouTube Premium free trial before.

"We're writing to let you know that after 25 October 2023, we will no longer be offering your version of Premium Lite," YouTube mentioned in the email, according to The Verge.

"While we understand that this may be disappointing news, we continue to work on different versions of Premium Lite as we incorporate feedback from our users, creators and partners."

That seemingly leaves the possibility open for a comeback, but for now, there's no word on if or when that will happen.

•  Streaming deals: Disney+ | Max | Sling | Fubo | Peacock | Paramount+ 

Most Android phone users listen to music on their devices via streaming services, and there's plenty of players competing for your subscription dollars. Spotify is the industry leader, with more songs, subscribers, and active users than any other music streaming service. Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music Unlimited all cater to niche audiences with support for high-resolution lossless streaming and unique integrations. Then, there's YouTube Music, which is a great option for YouTube lovers and those in the Google ecosystem.

If you can't decide which music streaming service plan to sign up for, these are our favorites and who they're best suited for. We'll cover all the features and differences separating the most popular plans and platforms.

Music streaming services for you to enjoy your tunes

Tidal was one of the first music services to provide high-quality lossless audio over streaming, even though it launched with a rather bare selection of artists and songs. Since its inception, Tidal has continued to grow its catalog and added some extra goodies, including high-definition music videos. In addition to the high-quality music available, the company offers more than its fair share of artist-exclusive releases and has even been live-streaming concerts before it was cool.

The feature set for Tidal is also rather robust since it's available on just about every platform, including a desktop application for Mac and Windows, along with a usable web client. There's smart assistant integration with both Amazon Alexa and Gemini, as well as the ability to create your own karaoke night with on-device lyrics.

While Spotify used to be our pick for the best overall music streaming service, Tidal is still the better option for those looking for the highest-quality audio. Tidal's base HiFi plan allows users to stream 16-bit audio in the lossless format FLAC at 44.1kHz, which matches the highest possible quality on Spotify. However, Tidal's "Max" sound quality mode goes all the way up to 24-bit, 192kHz, which only Apple Music and Amazon Music can match.

Tidal's Individual plan is the best streaming service subscription on the market right now for music listeners who really care about the audio quality of the songs they're listening to. It's available for just $10.99 per month and boasts Master Quality audio, Dolby Atmos, and Sony 360 Reality Audio.

While Spotify used to be one of the only music streaming services offering a student discount, both Apple Music and Tidal have since added discounted tiers for students. However, Tidal takes things to the next level by offering a discount of 50 percent on its Individual plan.

Tidal's student discount is also applicable to both high school and higher education students, while Spotify and Apple Music's student discount offer is limited to students pursuing higher education at a selection supported colleges or universities.

For the last few years, Amazon has been building up its own music streaming service to compete with the Spotifys and Apple Musics of the world. Called Amazon Music, it is available in two versions, and it all comes down to just how much music you want to listen to.

Amazon Prime Music is available for Prime members and comes bundled with your monthly or yearly subscription. It has a few limitations, the biggest of which is that most of the 100 million song catalog is only available via shuffle play. For on-demand listening, a song must be included in a curated "All-Access Playlist" (songs picked by the user).

However, it's available on all of your potential devices, and you'll still find that many of the top hits are available. If you want some deep tracks, you might want to take a look at Amazon Music Unlimited.

Amazon Music Unlimited has all the features you'd expect to find when searching for the best music streaming services. There's a free, ad-supported version that lets you browse an array of playlists and stations. You can also get on board with the Music Unlimited Individual Plan for $12 per month, but Amazon does offer a 30-day free trial to get your feet wet. Prime subscribers can save a dollar on Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions.

Amazon Music Unlimited is one of the few streaming services to deliver true HiFi streaming. The service offers hi-res lossless streaming in up to 24-bit/192kHz quality, besting Spotify and matching Apple Music and Tidal. Additionally, Amazon Music Unlimited includes spatial audio via Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio.

For the past decade, Spotify has been delivering streaming music magic and it still ranks among the most popular subscription-based music streaming services on the market today. Its vast genre selection, easy-to-understand settings, and useful algorithms make sure that you keep finding new and fantastic music to add to your library. While Spotify still offers a free tier, the Spotify Premium plan takes that to the next level with no commercial breaks, unlimited skips, and a larger media library.

Thanks to Spotify Connect and the many, many platforms Spotify makes dedicated apps for — from Android TV to Wear OS and everywhere in between — you'll also be able to listen to your music just about anywhere. Specifically, Spotify offers an easy-to-use web client that doesn't require any downloads or installations and is ideal for using on a managed computer at work or school. Still, there's also a desktop client available for more intense library management and offline playback.

While Spotify also doesn't have a device limit for streaming, its five-device, 10,000-song limit on offline content can spell trouble if you download massive playlists and their entire library for offline listening on a regular basis.

As mentioned above, Spotify continues to be one of the most intuitive streaming services. It also edges out both Tidal and Apple Music in terms of music discovery.

It finally added CD-quality lossless streaming in late 2025, but the platform still lacks the hi-res lossless support offered via Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Unlimited. Spotify also hasn't made a strong effort to work with artists to negotiate more fair payouts, which may be an issue for some music fans. Also, not everyone is a fan of the latest TikTok-style makeover of the app.

YouTube Music has a library of more than 50 million songs and, as you would expect, includes many music videos for you to sit back and enjoy. It's a music streaming service that leverage the YouTube library and bundles with YouTube Premium.

If you're the type who wants to download their favorite playlists to listen back to later on, you won't run into any issues. YouTube Music Premium subscribers can download songs, albums, or playlists right to their phones, so they can still listen to their favorites even if they don't have a stable internet connection.

The Premium Music subscription starts at $11 per month for individuals. Students can get in on the fun for about $5.50 per month, but there's even a free tier if you're willing to put up with some ads. You can also sign up for individual YouTube Premium for $14 per month and get an ad-free experience across YouTube.

One of the big reasons why Spotify continues to be a fan favorite has everything to do with the algorithms used to provide generated playlists. YouTube Music has a few algorithms of its own, but when pitting YouTube Music vs. Spotify, we did notice some improvement with playlists such as My Supermix, Discover Mix, and others. But as is the case with any music streaming service, the more you listen, the better the playlists will get.

Unfortunately, YouTube Music doesn't support lossless streaming of any kind.

Fourteen bucks a month for a robust, stable music player with a built-in music locker service (formerly Google Play Music), the best experience on the most popular video platform in the world (YouTube), and a brand-new but slightly buggy music service built atop the biggest music catalog in the world, including fan content and non-commercially available music (YouTube Music) too? Yeah, sign us up.

YouTube Premium is a video subscription service that gets rid of ads and unlocks premium features in five apps: YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube Kids, YouTube Gaming, and YouTube VR. Name another video subscription with that kind of value. No, really, we'll wait.

Once upon a time, you could subscribe to YouTube, YouTube Music, or Google Play Music and get access to premium service on all of them, but recent changes to Google's pricing policies have changed things. Pay for YouTube Music, and you just get YouTube Music. Pay for YouTube Premium, and you get everything.

• Back to the top ^

What's the best music streaming service for you?

When it comes to which music streaming is the best, it comes down to what makes a specific music service the best for you and your family. That being said, we think Tidal has made huge strides since it launched and is only becoming more appealing to die-hard music fans who aren't happy with the direction of Spotify. And while Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music each have their perks and discounts, Tidal still stands out in terms of audio quality and artist support.

Music is fundamental, and it's still one of the core functions of the best Android phones, smart speakers like Google Home, and our computers. As such, picking the right music streaming service to use on the devices you use every day is a big decision.

While our poll in the past saw YouTube Music finish ahead of Tidal, we still think Tidal is the music streaming service to beat. However, one of the biggest issues with the service is that it's only available in 61 countries. That means you might not be able to access Tidal where you live. As such, it's worth pointing out that Deezer is available in more than 100 countries worldwide and is also doing its own experiments with user-centric payouts.

If the sheer size of a platform's catalog matters more to you than audio quality, then YouTube Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music are still solid options for Android users. There's also an argument to be made for the music library hosted by Apple Music, though it doesn't function quite as seamlessly on non-iOS devices.

Update (July 20, 6:04 am ET): A YouTube spokesperson released a statement regarding the price hike.

What you need to know

• YouTube Premium now costs $13.99 per month in the U.S., up from $11.99 per month previously.
• The service's annual subscription plan also went up from $119.99 to $139.99.
• YouTube Music also saw a price bump from $9.99 to $10.99 per month.

YouTube Premium's monthly and annual subscription plans have gotten pricier for new members in the United States, except for the family plan.

As spotted by 9to5Google, an individual YouTube Premium subscription now costs $13.99 per month when you sign up for the first time. So, it looks like YouTube has decided to give its most loyal fans a break for now, while charging new users a little bit more for the privilege of watching videos without ads. It's a clever way to keep existing customers happy while also generating some additional revenue from new users.

Of course, new members get a free three-month trial to enjoy ad-free viewing, background video playback, and access to YouTube Originals, which are exclusive shows and movies available only to subscribers.

Meanwhile, the annual plan has gone up from $119.99 to $139.99 per year, which is a $20 increase. That said, the annual plan lets you save around $27 as opposed to the monthly plan.

The increase comes just a few months after YouTube introduced new premium benefits for members, such as an improved 1080p HD video quality setting. There's also a new video queueing feature for Android phone and tablet owners, as well as a continue-watching feature that allows them to pick up where they left off when switching devices.

Prior to the price hike, the standard YouTube Premium plan charged subscribers $11.99 per month. New subscribers in the U.S. are already seeing the price change. For existing members, the subscription fees for both the monthly and annual plans remain the same, though it's safe to assume that price adjustments will take place in the next billing cycle.

We've reached out to Google for comment and will update this post when we hear back. 

In the meantime, the cost of YouTube Premium's family plan remains unchanged at $22.99 per month. This makes sense given that the current price went into effect last October following a significant hike.

YouTube Music subscribers are not immune to the price increase, as the music streaming service now charges $10.99 per month, up from $9.99 per month previously.

Update

YouTube gave the following statement to Android Central:

"We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers in the US to continue delivering great service and features. We believe this new price reflects the value of YouTube Premium which allows subscribers to enjoy ad-free YouTube with background and offline play and uninterrupted access to over 100M songs with the YouTube Music app."

The service also confirmed that the price change will also take effect for current subscribers in the U.S. in their next billing cycle.

What you need to know

• YouTube Music has been found working on a new feature for its mini-player.
• The mini-player may soon add the "Cast" icon next to the "Play" button.
• This new UI might also bring gestures to change tracks on the mini-player.

Despite being one of our favorite music streaming services, YouTube Music can often fall behind other services in implementing new features. However, some UI changes are reportedly in the works that let you cast songs from the mini-player on YouTube Music. 

According to Android Police, YouTube Music is considering adding a "Cast" button to the mini-player, which will likely be placed next to the play button and ultimately replace the "Skip" button altogether. This should add another convenient option for users to cast music to their Android TV or other compatible speakers.

As for the missing skip button, it seems Google has a solution for that, too. Instead of cluttering the mini-player with more buttons, it seems YouTube Music may rely on gestures to change tracks. For instance, YouTube Music users can skip tracks after the new update by swiping left on the mini player. Swiping back to the right will return to the previous track.

Shared screenshots further reveal that the new UI changes with the newly placed Cast button and new gestures for skipping or returning to previous tracks:

While the current mini-player allows users to dismiss the player with a downward swipe, it seems this has been removed to prevent users from accidentally interrupting their music.

The latest version has yet to be made available to all app users in full. According to the Android Police, just a small number of users have the update, which suggests that YouTube may be testing the functionality or that the traditional deployment may start in the upcoming weeks.

YouTube Music has been on the verge of adding new features to its app lately. Just in the past month, the app gained a new real-time lyrics feature (which is seemingly still rolling out), a slight visual makeover to the "Library" tab, and a new dedicated Podcast listening experience.

•  Streaming deals: Disney+ | HBO Max | Sling | Fubo | Peacock | Paramount+ 

What you need to know

• YouTube has announced a few new features rolling out today for Premium members.
• Android phone and tablet users have gained a new video queueing feature which was previously seen in testing late last year.
• Premium members can utilize the continue-watching feature to pick up where they left off, even if they've switched devices.
• An enhanced bitrate 1080p HD video quality setting awaits Premium users on iOS.

YouTube's Premium members are gaining new features that refine and build upon the already present video-watching experience.

Through an official blog post, YouTube has detailed new features it's currently rolling out that Premium users should begin seeing throughout the week. The first feature is something we've seen before, as it deals with placing videos in a queue on mobile devices. The video streaming platform stated it's expanded its video queuing to phones and tablets so you can have "complete control over what you’re watching."

The initial tests involved this feature back in December for Android and iOS devices. While it was unclear back then whether or not this would remain a Premium-only feature, it appears that's exactly the case today for phone and tablet users. The video queueing feature is still available for web YouTube users without a Premium subscription.

YouTube has reiterated its "watch YouTube together" feature on Android through Meet Live Sharing for Premium members. Subscribers can host Google Meet sessions with other members of free-tier users to watch videos together. Now, the company is planning to bring this to FaceTime users (iOS) via SharePlay in the coming weeks.

YouTube is also bringing its "continue watching" feature to more devices, allowing Android and iOS users to hop back into what they were watching (at that exact moment) even if they've switched to watching on tablets or laptops.

YouTube also highlights its Smart Downloads feature with the latest round of Premium features. When connected to Wi-Fi, YouTube will automatically download videos on your device, which can be seen in the app's library, so they're ready to be watched when you're without a connection. This is also available for YouTube Music.

Users can turn this feature on or off by heading to their Library > Downloads > three-dot menu > Settings > and toggle Smart Downloads.

Lastly, YouTube is upgrading the video quality experience for select Premium members by rolling out an enhanced bitrate version of the 1080p HD quality setting. The company explained that all users will still retain the 1080p quality for videos, but the iOS Premium users now have access to even sharper and clearer videos. The platform is looking to include web users in this, as well, as an experiment sometime in the future. There was no mention of Android.

•  Phone deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Samsung | Amazon | Verizon | AT&T

What you need to know

• Google Fi Unlimited Plus users are in for some new perks.
• They get YouTube Premium subscription service for free (for one year) if they opt for the said plan.
• Users who choose an individual or family plan of the service are eligible for the offer.

Last week, Google began offering a new perk for users on its Google Fi Unlimited Plus plan. The additional perk is notably the one-year free service of YouTube Premium, which appears to be a value add-on.

Google’s global PR lead for Stadia, AR, and Project Starline, Patrick Seybold, reportedly confirmed the new add-on to The Verge via an email. The YouTube Premium service is said to have been in action already for the existing Google Fi’s Unlimited Plus users alongside new members since last week. It eliminates the need to pay $119 for the one-year subscription fee, which includes access to one of the best music streaming services on Android.

The added benefit of the new add-on is that users of the aforementioned Google Fi family plans will no longer need to split their YouTube Premium subscription with other family members since each person will receive a personal one-year subscription.

"Wireless consumers are increasingly opting for unlimited plans to fuel growing appetites for media, games, and other high-bandwidth applications on-the-go," Seybold confirmed with The Verge. 

"Now, we’re offering a simple, single subscription to Fi that provides connectivity, cloud storage and entertainment for the entire family."

Currently, the Google Fi plan is priced at $160 for four members and includes perks like 50GB of high-speed data, unlimited hotspot tethering, 100GB of Google One cloud storage, and international data.

YouTube recently increased its Premium Family plan to $22.99 per month from $17.99. Considering this, if you’re a Google Fi user or planning to switch, the Unlimited Plus service plan might be a viable option. Alongside the already great network, you would get the perks of YouTube without ads, YouTube Originals, YouTube Music service, and YouTube Kids. In addition, you get access to other abilities like offline downloads, for example.

What you need to know

• YouTube has achieved 80 million Premium and Music subscribers.
• The platform's 30 million subscriber rise has been attributed to its new features for users along with its partnerships.
• YouTube states it will continue to refine its service for the user and work alongside its music industry partners to provide meaningful content.

YouTube Premium and Music celebrates gaining 30 million more subscribers this year, achieving a new milestone.

According to YouTube, the company has reached 80 million subscribers globally for Premium and Music, which is up from 50 million subs a year prior. Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube, discussed the achievement through a newsletter.

Cohen attributed YouTube's success in reeling in more subscribers to its Premium service and how that affects users. YouTube Premium offers Music and an ad-free video streaming experience. Premium has also gained new features such as afterparties and discounted hardware for the latest Google products.

YouTube has also worked with its industry partners to offer users an extensive 100 million song catalog to jam to on YouTube Music. The company has built relationships with Samsung, SoftBank in Japan, Vodafone in Europe, and LG U+ in South Korea, along with its offers of Premium and Music through Google One.

"I am so proud and humbled to share that we've reached over 80 million subscribers on YouTube Music and Premium," said Cohen. "Alongside our music industry partners, we've been working hard to make YouTube the best place for every fan and every artist, and today's news marks a significant milestone in that journey. We're not stopping here. We've got lots to do and look forward to driving more growth and contributions back to the music industry."

Hitting 80 million subscribers is an impressive feat, although it falls far behind Spotify's 195 million paid subscribers. Still, YouTube Music remains one of our favorite music streaming services, thanks to its extensive collection of tunes as well as its seamless access to YouTube videos. Google also continues to improve the experience with features like seasonal replays, improved social sharing, and more.

YouTube's Global Head of Music went on to praise its subscription and ads, calling them a "twin engine of revenue." That said, YouTube's Q3 earnings fell quite flat, with many advertisers pulling away from the video platform. YouTube Premium also recently increased the price of its family plan by $5 in the United States, with similar increases in other regions.

Regardless, YouTube is looking to the future to continue to try and refine its subscription-based services as they turn seven years old. YouTube will continue to "put the user first" as it offers a variety of content forms, such as long-form videos from its creators and also its short-form content, Shorts. The company sees this as a way of keeping YouTube "in its own lane" as it looks to continuously differentiate itself.