A few weeks ago, Google partially tested a modification to YouTube Premium that would have prevented free users from watching 4K videos. Now, YouTube has confirmed that it ended its test where you needed a premium account to watch videos in 4K.
YouTube has not decided to restrict 4K video to only premium users, so you may relax if that was your biggest concern. To put it simply, for the time being. YouTube “fully turned off” the trial that required a premium subscription to stream videos in 4K resolution, the company announced on Twitter.
Earlier this month, users on social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter began complaining that the word “Premium” appeared next to the 4K/2160p resolution option in the resolution drop-down box. However, not all users needed a premium subscription to play 4K videos, suggesting that the capability was tested on a small group of people before being made available to the public.
Although 9to5Google points out that the experiment received a lot of negative comments, it’s unclear why YouTube opted to scrap it. When asked to pay $12 per month or $120 per year in order to play videos in the best resolution accessible on the website, users were understandably less than pleased. People who weren’t part of the test were also worried that it would become widely available and a permanent perk for premium users.
YouTube did not say whether the idea of putting 4K videos behind a premium subscription is dead or alive. In a tweet that was written in Japanese, YouTube requested user comments on the experiment. This feedback could help YouTube decide how to proceed moving forward.