YouTube’s Budget Plan Now Offers Background Play & Downloads
▼ Summary
– YouTube is adding background playback and offline downloads to its $7.99-per-month Premium Lite subscription.
– These features were previously missing from Premium Lite, which launched in the US about a year ago as a more affordable ad-reducing option.
– The company stated it added the features based on user feedback, with rollout starting immediately and expanding in the coming weeks.
– Premium Lite makes “most” videos ad-free, but ads may still appear on music content, Shorts, and during browsing or searching.
– A fully ad-free experience across YouTube and YouTube Music requires the standard $13.99-per-month Premium subscription.
YouTube is enhancing its more affordable subscription tier by adding two highly requested features. The platform’s YouTube Premium Lite plan, which costs $7.99 per month, will now include background playback and offline downloads. This update allows subscribers to listen to videos while using other mobile apps and to save content for viewing without an internet connection.
When Premium Lite launched in the United States roughly a year ago, it served as a budget-friendly option for reducing advertisements but notably omitted these popular capabilities. The company stated it listened to user feedback requesting the inclusion of these additional features. The rollout begins this week, with availability expanding to all regions where Premium Lite is offered over the next several weeks.
It is important to understand what the Lite plan includes. Subscribers will find that “most” videos are ad-free, but advertisements may still appear in specific contexts. These include music content, YouTube Shorts, and during certain browsing or search activities. For a completely advertisement-free experience across both YouTube and YouTube Music, users must upgrade to the standard YouTube Premium subscription priced at $13.99 monthly. YouTube also provides discounted family and student plans for its full Premium service.
(Source: The Verge)
