YouTube is ending testing where 4K viewing required a Premium subscription.
For those who were worried about YouTube completely and permanently limiting access to viewing 4K content to Premium subscribers, know that this will not happen. At least not in the near future. Indeed, YouTube said on Twitter that it had “completely completed “this test, which required a Premium subscription to play videos in 4K resolution.
YouTube completes testing
A few weeks ago, users started reporting on social media like Reddit and Twitter that when they opened the resolution options menu, the word “Premium”was visible next to 4K/2160p. However, not everyone had this mention, suggesting that it was just an experimental feature rolled out to a limited number of handpicked users.
who requested a Premium subscription to view in 4K
No one really knows why YouTube decided to stop this experiment, but as 9to5Google points out, users have taken the restriction rather poorly. The latter were indeed, understandably, far from happy to be asked to pay 11.99 euros per month to be able to watch videos in the highest definition available on the site. And those who did not participate in this test were worried that this restriction could be extended to everyone and that the option would become a permanent advantage only for Premium subscribers.
YouTube did not specify, of course, whether this idea of blocking 4K viewing behind a Premium subscription has been finally abandoned. In a Japanese-language tweet, YouTube invites users to give their opinion on this test, which may help the platform make a final decision.
we completely disabled this experiment. viewers should now be able to access 4K quality resolution without a Premium subscription. we are here if you have any other questions
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 17, 2022