YouTube’s $7.99 Premium Lite gains background playback and offline viewing

YouTube is upgrading its $7.99-per-month Premium Lite subscription with two features previously limited to the full Premium tier: background playback and downloads for online viewing.

Premium Lite launched in the US about a year ago as a cheaper way to watch YouTube with fewer ads, but it did not allow videos to continue playing when switching apps or support offline viewing. Both limitations are now being removed. YouTube says the update follows user feedback requesting these features.

The rollout of background playback and offline downloads for Premium Lite subscribers begins Tuesday in the US and will expand to all markets where Premium Lite is available in the coming weeks.

Premium Lite still does not eliminate all ads. YouTube says “most” videos are ad-free, but ads may still appear on music content, on Shorts, and while searching or browsing. For a fully ad-free experience across YouTube and YouTube Music, users need the $13.99-per-month YouTube Premium plan, which also includes a YouTube Music subscription and additional features like queuing, continue watching, and jump ahead. Family and student plans are available under the full Premium tier.