YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing platform, has announced an increase in the price of its Premium individual plan for both new and existing customers in the US. Users will now have to pay $13.99 per month, up from the previous $11.99. Subscribing from the iOS YouTube app will cost $18.99.
The price hike comes with added benefits, including ad-free YouTube, background and offline play, and uninterrupted access to over 100 million songs with the YouTube Music app.
Family Premium plans saw a significant increase to $22.99 per month at the end of last year, and the price remains the same. The annual subscription, introduced in January 2022, will now cost $139.99, a $20 increase.
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Furthermore, the price of YouTube Music Premium is also increasing to $10.99 per month from $9.99. The platform is also taking measures to crack down on ad blockers. The platform last raised the price of YouTube Premium (formerly known as "Red") in 2018 when YouTube Music was relaunched.
Existing subscribers will be informed about the new pricing during their next billing cycle through an email.
In the midst of these changes, YouTube is testing new features for its users. One of them allows users to watch videos at 2x speed by long-pressing anywhere on the player while watching a video.
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The company mentioned this development on its experiments page. While the feature is currently being tested, Premium members can access it until August 13. This new function aims to streamline video playback, eliminating the need for users to go through multiple steps to adjust the playback speed manually.
Another feature being tested provides users with bigger previews while seeking in videos. This enhancement will make it more convenient for viewers to find specific moments within a video.
