Nearly 1 year after its expansion in the U.S., YouTube Premium Lite is receiving a major upgrade. The service is now adding background playback and offline downloads for “most videos.”
The new benefits apply to “most non-music content, excluding Shorts.” Users will be able to access categories such as gaming, fashion, beauty, news, and more without ads. However, ads will still appear “on music content, Shorts, and when you search or browse.”
Priced at $7.99 per month in the U.S., YouTube Premium Lite will now allow subscribers to download videos for offline viewing when there is no internet connection. Members can also play videos in the background, meaning content will continue running even when the screen is turned off. This effectively enables users to listen to videos like podcasts or long-form discussions without keeping the app open.
YouTube said it “heard feedback about wanting these additional features included in the service,” prompting the update.
The rollout of offline downloads and background playback begins today and will expand to all regions where Premium Lite is available in the coming weeks.
Despite the upgrade, the standard YouTube Premium plan, priced at $13.99 per month, remains necessary for “additional features” such as queuing, continue watching, and jump ahead.
The update strengthens Premium Lite’s value proposition while keeping a clear distinction between the Lite and full Premium tiers.
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