YouTube Tests Locking 4K Viewing Behind a Premium Subscription

A new test on YouTube is annoying users for turning the free 4K (2160p resolution) playback option into a paid feature for YouTube Premium. 

The restriction has been popping up(Opens in a new window) for a select number of YouTube users; if you go to the settings wheel on applicable video, YouTube will list the 2160p resolution as a paid feature. To activate it, you’ll have to subscribe to YouTube Premium, which costs $11.99 per month and also gives you an ad-free experience. 

YouTube seems to have been testing the restriction for at least the past two weeks, according(Opens in a new window) to users. The Google-owned platform hasn’t responded to a request for comment. But on Twitter, YouTube attributed placing the 4K playback option behind a paywall as part of a test.

“It looks like your [sic] part of our experiment to know better the feature preferences Premium & non-Premium viewers,” YouTube wrote(Opens in a new window) in response to one annoyed user. 

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

The test is a worrying sign for non-paying users, who like to enjoy their videos in 4K when possible. Instead, the YouTube experiment restricts free playback options to 1440p and lower. 

The test may indicate Google is looking for ways to squeeze even more revenue out of the video-sharing service amid an economic downturn. Last month, YouTube also irked users after it tested displaying five to 10 unskippable ads in a row to select users across the globe, who were watching the service over a connected TV.

YouTube later said it “concluded” the small experiment. But it remains unclear if any of these tests will become permanent fixtures of the video-sharing service. In the meantime, users can send feedback(Opens in a new window) to Google about the test features through their YouTube account.