Although YouTube is best known for on-demand Internet videos, it has also evolved into Google’s umbrella brand for its multimedia streaming service. Some features that may have been considered a hallmark of free tiers were locked behind Google Play Music to YouTube Music subscriptions. This will change for users in Canada starting next month, but in exchange, free YouTube Music users will have to give up watching music videos on the site.
YouTube Music has a somewhat baffling constraint for free users for a music streaming service designed to be enjoyed on a mobile device. Ads that sound like they’re coming from the radio are anticipated, but YouTube Music would abruptly stop playing if you browsed away from the app or if your phone timed out and locked its screen. Of course, you could pay to remove the restriction, but YouTube Music’s competitors have been doing so for years.
The site revealed earlier this month that starting in November; its free tier would be drastically altered. However, while free users will finally listen to music in the background, something else will have to give. After all, consumers still need to upgrade to a Premium account on YouTube.
The ability to watch videos on YouTube Music and its mobile app will be the compromise. That, along with the typical perks of ad-free listening, unlimited skips, and on-demand selection, will now be included in the premium tier. Music videos are forwarded to the main YouTube app for free users. However, they do cease playing when you leave the app.
On November 3, 2021, these modifications will take effect, but only for Canadians. The global deployment schedule for these modifications has yet to be revealed, although Google should not take too long to implement them.
Source: google