YouTube Premium subscribers now have a leg up over other YouTube users.
The company recently announced it is releasing a few new features to its popular video-sharing platform that enhances subscribers' experience on it and could entice more users to avail of the subscription.
Most of these new features are now available to YouTube Premium subscribers today.
YouTube Premium New Features
YouTube mentioned in its blog post it added five new features for YouTube Premium subscribers to enjoy starting Apr. 10. Chief of these updates was the enhanced video quality subscribers get when using iOS devices.
According to the company, this enhanced video quality feature for iOS YouTube Premium subscribers will arrive in the coming weeks, providing subscribers with an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p HD quality. The difference between the 1080p regular users have access to from the enhanced one Premium subscribers get is that the latter will look "extra crisp and clear, especially for videos with lots of detail and motion."
There is no word when Android Premium subscribers will get this new feature, but YouTube assures Premium subscribers that its enhanced bitrate version will become available on YouTube's web version soon.
Aside from the enhanced 1080p feature, YouTube is providing an expanded queue to phones and tablets to Premium subscribers, allowing them to line up content on their phones and tablets t help them select the videos they want to watch next, per Android Authority.
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The company also added the ability for Premium subscribers to watch YouTube videos together with other users regardless if they are regular or Premium users through Meet Live Sharing on Android devices. Unlike the enhanced 1080p, however, YouTube promises it will add the feature to iOS devices for FaceTime users via SharePlay in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Premium subscribers can continue to watch or listen to their content anytime, anywhere across all devices (Android, iOS, and Web) without a single interruption.
Last but not least is Smart Downloads, which downloads various algorithmically recommended videos straight to Premium subscribers' libraries for them to view offline if they so wish. However, The Verge notes that the feature could consume significant amounts of storage space if left enabled.
YouTube's Performance Over The Years
YouTube has been a busybody when it comes to strengthening its pull on consumers. The company previously announced it earned 30 million paid global subscribers across its Premium and Music offerings in 2022 - an achievement and a major jump from the 50 million paid subscribers the company said it had in 2021.
Tom's Guide mentioned that YouTube may have added these new features to prevent subscribers from "churning," an act when a subscriber cancels their subscription for some time and inevitably return some time later. As such, YouTube adding these features to prevent subscribers from leaving and then returning later sounds sensible.
People who wish to subscribe to YouTube Premium would need to fork over $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year, according to Make Use Of.
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