YouTube is getting quite desperate about its Premium subscription. First, it was 5 ads on videos instead of 2, and now the video sharing platform is looking to lock 4K videos behind a paywall.
Google has started testing a new limitation for its free users on YouTube. A number of free users have reported that 4K videos on the platform were no longer available to them. Some of them also posted screenshots of the update.
As shown in the screenshot above, the 4K option (2160p) has a “Premium” label below it, meaning it may be limited to paying users in the future.
However, just like the increased number of ads, this test is also limited to only a few people. So if you are not seeing this limitation on your YouTube account, then it means you are not part of the public test.
What’s worse is that YouTube Premium is one of the most expensive subscriptions on social media. It costs $11.99 per month in the US and lets you watch videos without ads and save them for offline viewing. It also gives you unlimited skips with YouTube Music and unlocks new content on YouTube Originals.
The subscription is still not available in Pakistan, meaning people here will just be forced to use alternative methods if they want to watch videos in 4K or bypass ads. Third-party means such as YouTube reVanced are available which let you use watch YouTube without ads and will also let you watch 4K videos in the future if YouTube doesn’t let you do so. Keep in mind that it’s an unofficial version of YouTube so use it at your own risk.
YouTube was even testing up to 10 unskippable ads before a video, but fortunately, that never made it past the experimental stage. However, it is clear that Google is desperately looking to get more Premium subscribers onboard.
