Why I’m switching to YouTube Premium Lite as soon as I can – Android Police

YouTube Premium was called YouTube Red when I subscribed. Several binge-worthy exclusive series lured me in, but the ad-free experience sealed the deal, and I’ve never looked back. Premium isn’t cheap, but life is too short to spend watching advertisements on your phone, tablet, or one of the best Google TVs.I feel the time to switch subscriptions is near. The recently announced YouTube Premium Lite doesn’t have all the perks bundled with Premium, but it is shaping up as a better deal at almost half the price. While I don’t have access to YouTube’s new tier yet, I’ll be switching as soon as I do. Here’s why.It’s painful to adjust, but I’ve learned to live without YouTube Premium Thanks to advertisements, YouTube can afford to stay free and support its content creators. But ads are annoying, which is why I choose to pay for Premium. However, Premium Lite is almost half the price and shows few ads. In the US, it costs $8 a month, which is $6 less than the full Premium experience at $14 a month. That amounts to $72 saved in a year, or about as much as you’d spend on some of the best power banks.With Lite I’ll get almost the same distraction-free Premium experience at a lower cost. Ads only appear on music videos and between Shorts, which I rarely watch.Everything you need to know about YouTube’s TikTok rivalI canceled my Spotify Premium subscription soon after I got YouTube Premium. The latter is bundled with YouTube Music Premium, and paying for two music streaming services didn’t make much sense. YouTube Premium Lite does not include Music Premium, but I am okay with that. I believe many Premium subscribers are happy to have the option not to pay for a music service they don’t want or need.While YouTube Music gets the job done, Spotify is still superior, in my opinion. For starters, it has a proper and official desktop app, unlike YouTube Music, which runs in a web browser tab. I’m also disappointed with YouTube Music’s shuffle and recommendation algorithms. However, the main reason I keep going back to Spotify is its selection of podcasts. Some of my favorites aren’t available on YouTube Music. If it wants me back as a customer, YouTube’s service should take a page or two out of its rival’s playbook.YouTube Music should level up its offerings for a better music experience YouTube Premium has a long list of minor perks, but none are available with a Lite subscription. Background playback is one I wish I could keep. Doing chores around the house won’t be the same without a background video playing through my favorite wireless earbuds.I also like to let a video run in PiP mode while playing board games online. These often require waiting for other players to take their turn, and exiting the game while you wait is not an option. Having a YouTube video playing in its own floating window makes time go by super smoothly.As for the option to download videos, that’s one YouTube Premium feature I’m ready to part with. Offline YouTube is awesome when traveling, but when I do, I’m behind the wheel and unable to enjoy it. Frequent flyers may miss it. Streaming service subscriptions are getting more expensive. YouTube Premium is no exception. It received a $2 price hike in the US in 2023 and up to 50% more expensive internationally in 2024. I will not be surprised if, by expanding Premium Lite, YouTube aims to win back lost paying subscribers or offset losses from users with ad blockers.In any case, I applaud YouTube for bringing Premium Lite to a wider audience. A $14 monthly subscription is hard to justify when it includes a music service some may not want, while all of YouTube is still available with occasional ads. $8 a month, on the other hand, is a more reasonable figure.As much as I’m excited about YouTube Premium Lite, it is not the ideal plan for everyone. YouTube Premium Family is the better choice for households of three or more people, and up to six accounts can enjoy its benefits. On the one hand, it is more expensive at $23 a month. On the other hand, even when shared among just three family members, that’s under $8 per user. That’s a good deal considering that every account gets all the Premium benefits and a great one compared to Netflix’s $18-a-month fee, which some subscribers can’t live with anymore.We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedSticking with Premium, I watch a ton of music videos and decent amount of shorts, so no ads is a must. Plus YouTube Music is superior to anything else out there and couldn’t disagree more about its algorithms, first time I’ve ever heard that actually as reviewers always state how superior it is with only apple music able to even come close. Couldn’t care less about podcasts never listened to even one.Youtube Premium – 14 per monthYoutube Premium Lite and Spotify – 8 + 12 per monthYouTube music has a desktop app, it’s what I use to listen to music when I’m working from home. Any podcasts can be added to YT Music via RSS feed. You can install YT Music as an “app” instead of using a tab from any browser, essentially turning it into a “native” desktop app. Music quality sounds much better (to my ears) on YT Music over Spotify.I find it funny that people like you who are so cost conscious and will jump through hoops to save a few dollars in sacrifice, lack fortitude engage with family or friends to share plans more strategically and maximize value against these corporate shenanigans. Have you know, you can have your cake and eat it with the most services.the main selling point of premium is literally music, better than Spotify by far, taking music off would be silly, costs more to keep premium lite + Spotify. what even is this article?YouTube and Music need to bring the Premium benefits to their Xbox app.I’d love to listen to YouTube music and podcasts while I play but as it is I have to use Spotify for that because YouTube shuts down when you start a game, unlike Spotify.YouTube music is infinitely better than Spotify, I don’t listen to podcasts.They can f36k right off with AAAAAALLLLLLL the go66amn nonsense they pull. When casting if i can make a playlist on the free youtube version, then why the f4ck do i have to pay for premium to do it on my phone? When i try and block a channel like sssniperC4NTwolf, and then it pops up more than when i tried to block the user, then what sense does it make to pay them? When i block certain ads and like others why do i see more of the blocked ads and less of the liked ads? If they cant even figure out how to make a service that runs right half the time, then WHY WOULD I PERSONALLY FUND THEIR SHORTCOMINGS? Why does a mega corp thats using US as its stream of revenue, mean you are their cattle that pays their bills already, and because of the way youtube keeps finding/making new rules to avoid paying properly to content creators which in turn makes the content creators require sponsorships where they add their own adverts into the clips, then even IF your are dumb enough to pay for “ad free” youtube…. Its still going to be riddled with ads because corporate greed is unbridled especially in a company as monopolistic as GOOGLE is……. This article was horrible from the first time you said you never went back. Worst investment of your life. Your dollars tell those meatdroids in accounting that they can charge for the most minor inconveniences so they are going to keep finding ways to manufacture those annoyances in ways that they wont be considered ads ..like how when you pause youtube premium you still get walmart and target snippet ads on the pause screen… Or how they keep rolling out testing of ads banners still but no overlaying ad with a skil, just an extra bar thats there. Id you want YouTube ad free, theres free ways to accomplish it, and its worth learning since i cant post the link here … Theres also lots of ways that dont work that claim they will so maybe redditors have good hintHINTS……ahem…when corporations steal more than pirates do…I’ll stick with full premium plan, it’s 42$ annually for the family plan(India) and I share it with my friends, all 6 of us contribute so it’s really cheapYouTube does have a desktop app. Not for Mac though. Obviously. Ummm there actually IS a YTM desktop app.No, there isn’t. They call it an app, but it is only run in a chrome-window. Chrome-“app” as such. The writer of the article here also mentions that, saying Spotify has a dedicated app, which YouTube Music does not have.Then if you wish background playback and PiP feature, keep your premium subscriptionI need youtube music as I listen a lot while cycling, through my bluetooth headset (sound equalized in yt music, in poweramp eq and in poco’s settings)I’ve been a member since the beginning, I think. I still only pay $8 per month for full premium, so I can’t imagine ever cancelling, given how much is included.Because you have way too much money to spend, and you’re a xhutiya.or you could just use ublock origin and completely remove all the ads for 0 money It doesn’t work on android.Exactly. I use NewPipe.These types of articles are written to increase engagement and thus clicks on affiliate links. Whether they make rational sense or not. This one absolutely convinced me that YT Premium is a good choice I’ve made. Kudos for the use of reverse psychology, perhaps. Who pays the content creator better? Spotify or YouTube?Pretty sure YouTube music pays more per premium view. Spotify is quite low. Or you can switch to Venced YouTube. Paying so that you do not have to watch ads is one of the major reasons I do not ever want to use anything other than an Android device. Besides the Apple ecosystem has you caged and you cannot do anything to customize it and the stuff that they are allowing you to do now is basically trying to copy Android and they’re saying that they made it up which is total BS and they’re just trying to catch up with the Android OS that is light years ahead of them EOS PERIOD!!! SAMSUNG FTW #DJT2028 THEY WORKING ON IT BEHIND THE SCENES I PROMISE FROM WHAT I HEARI use YouTube premium and I would’ve switched to lite. Unfortunately I need background play. I use it so often when walking my dog. Cleaning or even listening to a podcast while driving.If I could remove yt music and replace it with the background feature in the lite subscription. I’d switch to lite in a heartbeat. But that isn’t an option. The only trouble is, some channels are putting commercials in their channel. I quickly turn the channel off. I wish there was a way to block channels like that.After seeing who they support, I unsubscribed from YouTube Premium and Spotify.I use NewPipe for YouTube and Nebula for quality content.And Qobuz for music. It’s cheaper, they pay out more to artists, it has lossless audio and they don’t support the nonsense happening in the US now.And what “nonsense” would that beWell you showed themAndroid or Google based TV use smarttube.Phone use reVanced.Phone and want to download use Newpipe.Pc use youtube player download whole albums with meta data and better interface since YouTube doesn’t have a non web based interface.Pay for a terrible interface and limited adds with a price increase in a year. Could never be me.”I’m saving $6/month with YouTube Premium Lite, and I will be using my savings to purchase Spotify Premium for $12/month” bro how you think they can afford to make it that cheap it’s not by making a dedicated desktop appI could easily leave Spotify for YouTube Premium.Well, I did – for a long time – and before that I ran both, which I agree makes little sense.Contrary to the author here, YouTube Music’s algorithms worked very well for me. The radio feature, where you can make a radio based on artists of your choosing – also, worked very great.However – I have two issues with YouTube Music – which to me is something I can’t live with.That same thing goes for connectivity/third-party-support. – Instagram recommends music to me, or any service, I try to click the “play on ..” it ALWAYS – in 100% of opportunities – gives me an option to start playing the song on Spotify, but only every now and then suggest YouTube Music.I still love YouTube music, but Spotify covers all those things, and even though I thoroughly enjoy the algorithm contrary to the author of this article, I also enjoy the one on Spotify.I do not listen to podcasts personally, so that is not a deal breaker for me, but I do need those nested playlists at the very least.A progress bar might take its placeA cheaper tier with fewer Premium features?It’s once again on the attackAd blockers might be to blamePremium gets more premiumAnd yes, a cheaper plan is one of them

Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/why-switch-to-youtube-premium-lite/