While not a complete package, certain Google One subscribers in the US will soon benefit from a discount on YouTube Premium. Additionally, YouTube is rolling out several new features for subscribers to explore.
To qualify, users must have a Google One Premium plan, starting at $9.99 monthly for 2 TB storage in the US. The cheaper $1.99 “Basic” (100 GB) and $2.99 “Standard” (200 GB) plans will not receive this discount.
This will grant a $2 reduction on YouTube Premium Individual, reducing its monthly cost from $13.99 and effectively nullifying the 2023 price increase.
Currently, Family and Music Premium plans don’t include this discount. Existing YouTube Premium subscribers must cancel their current standalone plan and re-sign up through Google One. More information will be provided at: one.google.com/explore-plan/youtube-premium.
Moreover, a new collection of experimental features for Premium users to test is now accessible. Now, you can try out multiple features simultaneously instead of being restricted to one.
One noteworthy addition is the capability to increase playback speed up to 4x on mobile. Previously, users could only adjust speed from 0.25 to 2.0x in .5x increments, following last year’s playback speed redesign.
Other upcoming experiments featured on youtube.com/new include:
- High-quality audio: Premium members will enjoy enhanced audio with high-quality 256kbps sound on music videos, providing greater clarity and depth.
- “Jump ahead” on the web: Previously exclusive to mobile, this feature now lets you skip to the most exciting parts of a video while using web browsers.
- Picture-in-Picture mode for YouTube Shorts on iOS: View your favorite Shorts while navigating through other applications or checking messages.
- Smart Downloads for YouTube Shorts on iOS: Enjoy automatically downloaded recommended Shorts for offline viewing based on your interests.
Additionally, YouTube is introducing the Ask Music feature in YouTube Music for Android users in the UK and Ireland, starting today. This allows requests for playlists like “upbeat workout tracks,” “relaxing jazz,” and “new indie discoveries.”
Lastly, an “Ask” chat button will be added under the video player in the YouTube app for iOS, enabling users to ask questions about the video they are viewing, receive content suggestions, and more.
: . More.
