YouTube is testing its cheaper Premium Lite subscription again, but it now has limited ads

Last year, YouTube axed Premium Lite, its cheaper mentation of YouTube Premium, but the institution has been investigating a caller mentation of the subscription successful Australia, Germany, and Thailand, YouTube confirmed to Android Authority.

The institution confirmed the tests to The Verge arsenic well, with spokesperson Jessica Gibby saying that it has been investigating a “different version” of the subscription with “some users successful Australia, Germany and Thailand for respective months (with the astir caller 1 opening successful Australia astatine the commencement of this year).” Gibby adds that “we don’t person thing other to stock successful presumption of a broader rollout astatine this time.”

According to a screenshot shared by singer-songwriter Jonah Manzano on Threads, the Premium Lite subscription successful Australia costs $8.99 AUD per period connected the web, oregon somewhat little than fractional of the $16.99 AUD outgo for the afloat mentation of Premium. On iOS, the costs are $11.99 AUD for Premium Lite and $22.99 AUD for Premium, according to another screenshot from Manzano.

While the erstwhile mentation of Premium Lite had nary ads connected YouTube and YouTube kids, this caller mentation has limited ads instead. In a footnote, YouTube writes that ads whitethorn look connected “music contented and Shorts” and users mightiness spot “non-interruptive ads erstwhile you hunt and browse.”

The rubric successful the screenshot besides shows that this mentation of Premium Lite doesn’t connection ad-free entree to YouTube Music, the quality to download and play videos offline, oregon the quality to perceive to videos successful the background, which besides weren’t disposable with the aged Premium Lite.

YouTube initially began piloting Premium Lite successful parts of Europe in 2021.