YouTube has started rolling out background play and offline downloads to its Premium Lite plan subscribers in India. The update allows users on the lower-cost plan to download videos for offline viewing and continue listening to videos even when their phone screen is locked or when they switch to another app. The new features are being rolled out gradually and will reach all Indian Premium Lite subscribers in the coming weeks and will work across multiple devices, including smartphones, laptops and smart TVs.
Once the update is available, subscribers will be able to watch most videos without ads, download them for offline viewing, and continue playback in the background while using other apps.
Premium Lite was introduced as a lower-priced subscription option for users who primarily want an ad-free viewing experience on YouTube. Until now, the plan focused mainly on reducing advertisements across most videos. The latest update expands the service to include two features that were previously associated mainly with the full YouTube Premium plan: background play and offline downloads.
Background play allows videos to continue playing even when the YouTube app is minimized or when the screen is locked. This is commonly used by viewers who listen to podcasts, interviews, or other long-form content while doing other tasks on their phones.
The addition of downloads means that subscribers can save supported videos to their devices and watch them later without an internet connection.
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