Of all of my various subscription services, YouTube Premium is the one I simply cannot imagine canceling. Although my evening viewing habits still consist of whatever’s streaming on Netflix, YouTube takes up space in everything from my lunch break to my pre-bedtime rituals. The ability to stream anything I want without ever experiencing an ad-break is, in my eyes, worth the cost, no matter how frustrating it feels to see that price trickle ever upwards.
Just because YouTube Premium has a grip on my credit card that it won’t let go of doesn’t mean I don’t think there’s plenty worth changing or improving with the service. If Google wants me to stay a paying subscriber — and, more importantly, wants hold-outs or lapsed members to make a return — I can think of at least 5 crucial areas that need some improvement.
5
YouTube Premium should offer a more affordable plan without YouTube Music
I think, for a lot of non-Premium viewers, this is the big one. Right now, YouTube Premium costs $14 per month in the US for a single account, or $22 per month for a family plan. That puts it on par with major Hollywood streaming apps, and if you’re accounting for the ad-supported plans offered by most of those brands, it’s significantly more expensive. YouTube has played around a couple of times with the concept of a “Lite” plan without YouTube Music, though in its current iteration, the limitations are probably too strict
Practically every issue with making a non-bundled Premium plan stems from Google’s relationship with the music industry. Background and offline play — two of the three main selling points for this plan, in my eyes — have been disabled on every Lite experiment tried so far, because of the music video library that exists across YouTube as a whole. If you deliver those tools to users at a lower cost, you’re effectively giving people access to a cheaper, more convoluted version of YouTube Music.
The thing is, I don’t care. This is a problem of Google’s own making, and rather than trying to come up with a solution — disabling downloads and background play on music videos exclusively, for example — it passes the headache onto its consumers. Hell, even the existence of YouTube Music was a deliberate decision made by Google nearly a decade ago, sending my beloved Play Music app to the graveyard in the process.
Regardless of whether you think YouTube or the music industry as a whole should take the blame for Google’s inability to offer a cheaper ad-free plan for those uninterested in a new music service, it’s Google that needs to step up and fix it. But in its current implementation — and at its current price point — I just don’t think this latest Lite attempt is it. Back to the drawing board.
Related
Let’s discuss if YouTube Premium’s $14 monthly pricing is grounded in reality
The Android Police team dive into YouTube Premium and whether the benefit of YouTube Music is worth the cost to remove ads
4
Video quality should default to the highest possible option
Did you know YouTube Premium includes a higher bitrate version of 1080p playback, allowing for better overall quality even on non-4K displays? If you didn’t, it’s because the YouTube app — and, honestly, even YouTube’s desktop site — loves to force you to use lower-quality streams, even when you’ve set your application to default to higher-quality video. Google would almost assuredly tell you this is to ensure you, the viewer, have a buffer-free experience, while in actuality, it’s likely to save on as much bandwidth as possible.
Well, I’m here to say that YouTube Premium users are, in all likelihood, power users, and as such, should have the option to set a default resolution baseline for playback. I can’t stand how often I need to manually adjust my quality preferences, despite maxing out my options in the app’s settings. For $14 a month, we need the ability to set it and forget it.
3
Download management is automatic on new devices, and there’s no easy way to change that
This, admittedly, falls under “reviewer problems,” but it exists nonetheless. YouTube is exceptionally strict about its device limits — it’s a consequence of Premium being tied into the music industry — but there’s no easy way to manage your library of devices. As such, if you’re an enthusiast with your account linked to plenty of phones and tablets (or, again, you review these products for a living), you’ll quickly learn that your ability to download videos for offline viewing is hamstrung, if not outright inaccessible.
I learned this the hard way earlier this year while trying to download videos ahead of catching a plane, only to find that whatever daily driver I was reviewing at the time had exceeded my account’s limit. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t downloaded videos on those older phones — all that mattered was when I logged into my account. Looking to deregister older or discontinued devices? You’ll have to reset your counter by talking to YouTube support, where it was not-so-helpfully referred to as a “one-time courtesy.” Neat!
Again, I get that this is primarily a me problem, one that the vast majority of users won’t run into. But considering I was warned that factory resetting a device also counts as a new entry — and that’s something that might cause more casual users trouble — I’d like to see Google add the ability to register and deregister smartphones and tablets at will. I’m willing to play by the rules here, nonsensical as they are, but let’s make it a little easier to actually manage account-side.
2
Incognito mode should support YouTube Premium’s benefits
This is a small one, but unlike the YouTube Music debacle, I don’t understand Google’s logic here. Way back in 2018, YouTube added an incognito mode to its app, allowing anyone to quickly jump into a blank account where your viewing activity isn’t tracked. Whether you’re looking up gift ideas for loved ones or trying to watch a specific video without your recommendations getting absolutely wrecked in the process, it’s a really handy utility — except for the fact that your Premium benefits don’t carry over.
Watching any video in incognito mode requires you to sit through an ad or two, as if you aren’t paying a hefty amount of cash to Google every month to avoid that exact situation. As a result, you’re better off starting a fresh YouTube account under your Premium-branded Google account and using that to watch whatever content you don’t want linked to your main account. I understand that incognito mode is supposed to act like a completely blank template, but I have a hard time believing paid accounts couldn’t be verified to bypass ads entirely.
Background play, offline downloads, and the removal of ads are the three big selling points for YouTube Premium, but they aren’t the only things you get in exchange for your recurring monthly payment. I already mentioned 1080p playback at a higher bitrate, but customizable controls, Jump Ahead, and the ability to continue watching — which I truly did not know was a Premium feature until I sat down to write this article — are all added benefits.
The thing is, I’m not sure this is enough, and I’d like to see Google make some more moves here. I think Letterboxd — the app Film Twitter loves to hate — is a really great example of how to do this right. With three tiers (free, Pro, and Patron), you get different abilities at each level. Most people will feel right at home on the free or Pro tiers, with the latter adding JustWatch integration, year-round stats, and improved filters. But for the real sickos, Patron allows for infinite customization, from changing movie posters to speedier watchlist controls.
So, with that comparison in mind, why not allow for additional customization within the app, adding or removing elements as you see fit? Why not bring downvote visibility back as an exclusive for paid accounts, or add specific filters into the subscriptions page to better group your favorite creators? I’m not saying Google needs to completely ruin the free experience, but if it wants to get more people subscribed to Premium, thinking about how to benefit power users over everyone else could be worth it.
YouTube Premium has my wallet, but it needs to do more to keep me paying
With such a broad user base, I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface on what current Premium subscribers want from the service. I’m curious what else I haven’t considered, or whether AP’s readership finds today’s platform perfectly fine as-is. Though considering the response we received last month when asking whether you’d consider dumping your Premium subscription, I’m pretty sure we’re all on the same page.
Related
5 reasons why YouTube Premium is worth the subscription
If you’re a YouTube regular, Premium is worth the investment
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings