Millions of Galaxy smartphone and tablet users worldwide have limited-time access to YouTube Premium for free whenever they purchase a Samsung mobile device, but once the trial period ends, they have a choice between continuing to use YouTube for free with ads or paying €11.99 a month for an ad-free experience with additional perks. And, let's face it, many people abandon their YouTube Premium subscriptions the moment the free trial ends, precisely because of the €11.99 monthly fee. It's too steep, and all the bells and whistles that come with Premium don't always seem to be worth the price tag. Fortunately, YouTube is working on a solution.
The company is testing a new paid service called YouTube Premium Lite. It's cheaper than the regular Premium subscription at €6.99 a month, and it offers an ad-free experience for YouTube and YouTube Kids on Android, iOS, and smart TVs.
YouTube decided to bring the monthly subscription fee down to €6.99 for the new Premium Lite service by ditching extra features that are included with the regular Premium subscription. As a result, Premium Lite users won't have access to offline viewing or YouTube Music.
For now, YouTube Premium Lite is available in a few European countries
The new YouTube Premium Lite subscription model is available only in a few countries. The company is testing this feature before it decides whether it should have a wider release, and as of this writing, it's available in Benelux and Nordic countries except Iceland.
According to an official statement by YouTube via Android Central, the company's been working on building “a subscription service that fits the needs of our users” ever since YouTube Premium was first released nearly six years ago.
There's no word as to when or if YouTube Premium Lite will be released in more markets. Either way, if the Lite subscription catches on, we wouldn't be surprised if it will eventually be bundled with Samsung Galaxy devices. The YouTube Premium Lite subscription would certainly befit cheaper devices from the Galaxy A, M, and F lineups.
