YouTube Allows Only Premium Accounts to View 4K Ultra-HD Videos

YouTube became the subject of discussion on Twitter recently. Screenshots of users appeared on the social network, showing that video in 2160p (4K) expansion was moving to the Premium accounts.

For now, Premium account holders and those who use the free version of the application can watch videos of the highest quality. Although YouTube hasn’t commented on any restrictions, the creators will probably take this step. The parent company Alphabet Inc. reported a decrease in profit, and the new development plan should raise revenue by at least 20%. So it makes sense that YouTube will add more paid features.

Premium YouTube subscribers have significant advantages over non-subscribers:

• First, they can watch videos without ads. They can download videos they like and watch them later without Internet access. Subscribers also can listen to songs on YouTube Music online and offline. 
• Another significant upgrade for owners of YouTube Premium accounts was the ability to use the app in the background.

YouTube forces users of free accounts to watch ads at the beginning of the video. While watching, it interrupts the clip as well.

As for the video quality limitations for free accounts, this might not be a disadvantage for everyone. If the user watches clips or news from their smartphone, 1440p resolution is acceptable. But those who view YouTube on a laptop, computer, or smart TV will notice that the video quality will be low on large screens.

If YouTube implements this update, non-premium users will be able to set the highest video resolution of 1440p in the settings. To open the video in 4K quality, the user has to click on the "Tap to upgrade" button. Users will have to pay $11.99 monthly to upgrade to a premium account.

We hope that the developers of YouTube will make an official announcement about the update. Which version of YouTube do you use? Are you going to change your plan.