Google is taking away this YouTube Music benefit from users

Google recently brought free background playback support on YouTube Music. While the perk is sure to benefit users, they won’t be able to enjoy videos simultaneously if they don’t pay for Premium.

Up until now, YouTube Music users could listen to music only when the app was open. But with new background playback support which is stated to be part of a change to the company’s ad-supported service, users will be able to stream their favourite song with background play simply to say one can listen without having to keep the app open.

But free-tier users can take advantage at the cost of losing another useful feature- video streaming on the app. As per the YouTube Music support page spotted by 9to5Google, the company will soon limit watching music videos only to Premium-tier. This essentially means that YouTube Music will stay as an audio-only app for free users. However, they will still be able to stream videos on the regular YouTube app.

As per the 9to5Google report, the support page lays out a few differences between the two tiers that include- listen to music in the background, shuffle play personalized mixes, exploring millions of songs & thousands of playlists free of cost in free-tier, and listening to songs on-demand, watch videos on YouTube Music, ad-free streaming in the Premium-tier.

The change starts from November 3, the same day when background playback support will be released on the platform. According to 9to5Google, the change will first roll out in Canada and then the other regions will follow the suite. While the audio-only approach might upset some users, reports point out that changes are likely the impact of Apple’s newly launched Voice Plan. The cheaper plan was introduced at Apple’s Unleashed event this week, and Google is just taking a jab on its rival with a free ‘radio-like’ tier. As per the YouTube Music support page (via 9to5Google), YouTube product manager Jason Robinson will host an AMA on October 21 to help explain changes and take feedback on the same.

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