What you need to know
- YouTube has announced that the price of one of its the Premium plans will increase by $5.
- The change will occur for users in the YouTube Premium family plan late November.
- The YouTube Premium family plan allows users to share their subscription across several users.
Google has started informing some YouTube Premium subscribers that it is increasing the subscription price as soon as next month.
According to the email, as reported by 9to5Google and shared with Android Central by a subscriber, the price of the YouTube Premium family plan is increasing by $5 from $17.99 to $22.99.
The price increase will occur "on or after November 21, 2022," depending on your billing cycle. The increase is already in effect for new subscribers, meaning you'll have to pay the new amount if you sign up for a family plan. New pricing also affects subscribers in Canada, the U.K., Turkey, and Argentina.
Fortunately, the individual plan is not affected by the increase.
"We created YouTube Premium to provide an uninterrupted YouTube experience, so you can get closer to the videos, creators, and music artists that you love," the email reads. "To continue delivering great service and features, we will be increasing your Premium family plan price from $17.99/month to $22.99/month."
This is the first price increase for YouTube Premium in at least four years when it switched from the YouTube Red branding. The subscription gives users access to ad-free videos and other perks such as experimental features, offline streaming, and more. It also includes ad-free YouTube Music. The family plan allows up to five members to share the benefits.
You can always cancel YouTube Premium if the price hike is too steep for you. Simply navigate to YouTube app account menu from the top right corner and select "Purchases and memberships." Find your subscription and hit "Deactivate." You'll be presented with the option to pause your subscription or cancel.
As noted by The Verge, users grandfathered into old Google Play Music rates will keep the same price, at least until April.
