YouTube Premium expands 4x playback, high-quality audio, Shorts PiP & more
Google is rolling out a set of YouTube Premium features to more devices. These updates keep the $13.99/month subscription the same, but broaden where power-user features are available.
What’s new
- Faster playback: 4x playback now available on Android, iOS and the web, in 0.5x increments from 1x to 4x.
- High-quality audio: A new “High” audio option for music videos and Art Tracks (256 kbps) is now accessible across YouTube and YouTube Music on Android and iOS.
- Shorts improvements: Automatic Shorts downloads for offline viewing and Picture-in-Picture (PiP) on iOS and Android (previously Android-only).
- Jump Ahead on big screens: The Jump Ahead feature to skip to key moments in videos is coming to smart TVs and game consoles.
Why it matters
These changes unify Premium’s experience across platforms and make advanced playback and audio options available where people actually watch. The price and core benefits (ad-free viewing and YouTube Music access) remain unchanged.
Sources & further reading
- Official YouTube announcement: YouTube Blog — New YouTube Premium features (2025)
- Coverage & rollout details: 9to5Google — YouTube Premium playback speeds & audio
Have you upgraded your listening or viewing settings yet? Share which feature you’ll use first in the comments.