You May Soon Need to Be a YouTube Premium Subscriber to Watch 4K Videos

[MacRumors]

YouTube may make watching videos in 4K quality on the platform exclusive to only YouTube Premium subscribers, according to screenshots posted by users on Twitter and Reddit.

On Reddit (1,2) and Twitter, some users have started to recently notice that on iOS, and presumably across other platforms also, YouTube is now saying that in order to watch videos in 4K, the user must be a paying YouTube Premium subscriber. Not all users are seeing the 4K quality option blocked behind YouTube's paywall, and it's unclear if YouTube plans to move forward with this.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1576256922965069824

A standard YouTube Premium plan costs $11.99 in the United States and includes ad-free videos, background playback, and the ability to download videos for offline viewing. We've reached out to YouTube for comment on 4K video quality possibly becoming a YouTube Premium feature and we'll update this article if we hear back.

Article Link: You May Soon Need to Be a YouTube Premium Subscriber to Watch 4K Videos

 

[Valve1138]

That’s nice. I’ll continue to not subscribe.

 

[vtuberalpha]

Typical YouTube move: locking a system feature and now a simple resolution behind a subscription paywall.

I'm off to sideloading an ad-free YouTube IPA which supports 4K then and saying goodbye to this ****show.

 

[Rychiar]

Well I’m glad I’ve had this for years thanks to a friends family plan

 

[krspkbl]

this is not a good move and i am a youtube premium subscriber.

 

[tRYSIS3]

YouTube is really trying hard to get me to never use their app again huh?

 

[infinitejest]

I'd rather watch in 480p than paying $12 for YouTube...

 

[ct2k7]

My usage of YouTube has been declining as of late, I guess this will be a nail in the coffin - maybe not the final, but happily so.

 

[Squuiid]

Just leaving this here...

‎Vinegar - Tube Cleaner

‎Vinegar is a Safari extension that replaces the YouTube player with a minimal HTML video tag. It removes ads, restores picture-in-picture, and keeps videos playing in the background. Note: The "can read information from webpages" text in the permission section is just unfortunate wording...

apps.apple.com

Vinegar — Safari Extension That Replaces YouTube Embeds With Simple HTML 5 Video Tags

Link to: https://andadinosaur.com/launch-vinegar

daringfireball.net

This Safari extension replaces YouTube's video player with one that supports PiP and more [U] - 9to5Mac

It’s no secret that using YouTube in the browser on your iPhone or iPad is a rather unpleasant experience. And...

9to5mac.com

 

[kobaltz]

Years from now, YouTube will say that they're not getting enough revenue from ads because too many people are subscribed to Premium, so they'll start introducing ads into YouTube Premium. But you can opt out of ads by upgrading to YouTube Premium Pro.

 

[ct2k7]

Just leaving this here...

‎Vinegar - Tube Cleaner

‎Vinegar is a Safari extension that replaces the YouTube player with a minimal HTML video tag. It removes ads, restores picture-in-picture, and keeps videos playing in the background. Note: The "can read information from webpages" text in the permission section is just unfortunate wording...

apps.apple.com

I use that, but sometime's it's flaky

 

[Andres Cantu]

Because paying extra for 4K went so well for Netflix, right Google?

 

[macintologist]

I'm a Youtube premium subscriber so I don't have to watch ads since there is so much classical music on Youtube. I really don't care since I don't have a 4K TV anyway and people should be grateful that they can watch Youtube for free in the first place.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Very nasty

 

[gmanist1000]

I have YouTube premium because it’s a godsend to not have ads on Apple TV. I watch hours of YouTube every day so it really is worth it. Limiting 4K to YouTube premium however, is stupid, and sounds exactly the same as how Netflix has an UHD option just for 4K on their platform.

 

[macintologist]

Typical YouTube move: locking a system feature and now a simple resolution behind a subscription paywall.

I'm off to sideloading an ad-free YouTube IPA which supports 4K then and saying goodbye to this ****show.

Maybe they will encrypt the 4k video feed.

 

[-BigMac-]

No probs. Been rocking dat Premium life for a couple years now.

Life's too short to watch ads

 

[ct2k7]

I'm a Youtube premium subscriber so I don't have to watch ads since there is so much classical music on Youtube. I really don't care since I don't have a 4K TV anyway and people should be grateful that they can watch Youtube for free in the first place.

Well of course you wouldn't care. You'd be benefitting from this.

 

[levitynyc]

I bit the bullet months ago and paid the $12 a month after my 3 month trial of YouTube premium.

I watch YouTube a ton and the ads were getting obnoxious. I know AdBlock can stop them on browsers, but the app was horrendous.

 

[ja']

how dare they try to make money

 

[macgician]

It's high time for apple to start one its platform, I expected Amazon to do so when they purchased Twitch but nothing happened

 

[Achillias]

I think it is a good decision. Because for now, besides for paying not seeing advertisements, there is not mutch difference between the free accounts. At least it gives another reason to get Youtube Premium.

 

[JippaLippa]

I'm already a premium as I spend hours each day watching yt on my phones and I can't tolerate ads...
But doing this would be absolutely idiotic.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

This actually wouldn’t be so bad if YouTube had a more affordable pricing tier. As it stands you have to pay a ridiculous amount to get fairly basic/common features; and whilst 4K streaming may not be a requirement for everyone (especially as YouTube is used a lot on mobile devices/tablets/computers), it seems odd to bundle it with the current premium features.

 

[miric]

My usage of YouTube has been declining as of late, I guess this will be a nail in the coffin - maybe not the final, but happily so.

I like such kinds of statements. So where do you alternatively watch videos as everything is hosted on YouTube these days? Please don't mention Vimeo.