YouTube Premium Features: Enhanced Audio & Playback

YouTube says its Ask Music function will soon be accessible for Android users in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

On Wednesday, YouTube announced numerous new experimental capabilities for its YouTube Premium members, such as high-quality audio, a quicker playback speed option on mobile, and the ability to “jump ahead” on the web to skip to the more interesting part of the video. The platform claims that the additions are intended to improve content consumption, including support for higher quality audio while watching music videos and the ability to toggle faster video playback. Meanwhile, YouTube Shorts for iOS now supports both picture-in-picture and smart downloads. The business has also introduced a new plan for US consumers, which makes YouTube Premium more affordable, albeit with some limitations.

The business periodically tests new features, which users can activate at youtube.com/new. In a blog post, YouTube described the additional capabilities that will be available to premium customers. It says they may now enjoy audio upgrades while streaming videos, with a higher audio bitrate of up to 256kbps audio playback. As a reminder, YouTube Music already provides this audio quality when you set the playback settings to High. The ‘Jump Ahead’ feature, which was previously exclusive to mobile devices, is now available for web browsers as well. It allows people to jump ahead to the greatest sections of the video they’re watching.

On a mobile device, picture-in-picture can be useful if you need to quickly respond to a text or email, or check something else while a video plays, which means multitasking of activities on your device. One of the new tests allows users to watch YouTube Shorts in picture-in-picture mode on iOS. Meanwhile, the smart downloads function will automatically select and download recommended short films for offline viewing. The playback options will also be increased to 4x speed. When enabled, YouTube automatically downloads films that may be of interest to you when you have a decent connection. This allows you to watch them offline without needing an internet connection. Both of these functions were already accessible for Android users.

It’s worth mentioning that all of the aforementioned features are experimental, and users must opt in before using them.

The video-streaming service is also expanding certain functionality to new platforms and areas. YouTube Music’s Ask Music function will soon be available to Android users in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It allows consumers to define the music they want to listen to, such as “upbeat workout tracks” or “relaxing jazz,” and the feature will create a customized radio station with similar music, as seen on YouTube.

In the meantime, the conversational AI tool, which functions like a chatbot to debate currently playing movies and recommend similar content, will be available on iOS. It is presently only available to YouTube Premium members in the English language in the United States.

YouTube says it’s launching a new deal in the United States that allows consumers to save more when they join up for a Google One Premium or higher subscription. With this offer, they will be able to enjoy ad-free YouTube, 2 TB of cloud storage with Google One, and other Google One member features at a reduced cost.

YouTube now allows you to watch videos at up to four times the speed on mobile. Previously, users could specify 2x which is the maximum playback speed.

Last year, YouTube added a “Jump Ahead” function to mobile, allowing users to skip to the finest part of a video. YouTube’s system uses machine learning and user feedback to determine the greatest sections. The company is now making this feature available on the web for Premium subscribers.

Google is also adding two YouTube-related artificial intelligence tools. YouTube Music is spreading its “Ask Music” function to the United Kingdom and Ireland. Users can request “upbeat workout tracks” or “relaxing jazz,” and the app will generate a customized radio station based on the prompt. Other competitors, such as Spotify and Amazon Music, have also been testing out similar features.

In 2023, YouTube began testing a conversational AI feature that would allow users to ask questions about a video or receive recommendations. The company stated that this capability will soon be available for iOS users as well.