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3 days ago
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It is no secret that YouTube has been trying to make it harder and harder for users to block ads on its app. Back in March, earlier this year, we reported on problems users, including us, noticed across various browsers including the likes of Chrome, Opera, and Firefox.
Later in the same month, Google released its new paid subscription tier called "YouTube Premium Lite." However, this is not a completely ad-free service as users are still served adverts during their YouTube sessions, although the number of ads is far lower than what a user would see on the free app. The idea is quite similar to Netflix's Basic with Ads plan, which was released back in 2022.
Besides a non-ad-free experience, the $7.99 Premium Lite subscription also removed several other cool features like the ability to download videos for offline viewing and background play, which can be quite convenient for listening to music on the app. Speaking of music, YouTube Premium Lite also does not include access to YouTube Music.
Unfortunately, Google is tweaking this plan for the worse, as it will soon add adverts to short videos. The company has seemingly started sending emails to customers who are using the Premium Lite tier, informing them about the change that begins later this month, on 30 June.
Here is what the mail says:
Thank you for being a Premium Lite member. Premium Lite offers fewer interruptions so you can watch more of the YouTube you love.
We are writing to let you know that beginning 30 June 2025, ads may appear on Shorts, in addition to music content and when you search or browse. Most videos will continue to remain ad-free.
The above was shared by user big_D on the TWiT.community forum. German outlet Deskmodder also reported on this, which suggests that the rollout might be happening globally on the same June 30, 2025 date.
As an online publication, Neowin too relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we'd appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support!
