YouTube rolls out background play, downloads for Premium Lite plan in India

YouTube has added background play and offline downloads to its Rs 89 Premium Lite plan in India, allowing users to listen with the screen locked and watch videos offline on most non-music content

YouTube has started rolling out background play and offline downloads to its Premium Lite plan subscribers in India. According to YouTube, 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. The plan costs Rs 89 per month and provides ad-free viewing for most videos on the platform. It works across multiple devices, including smartphones, laptops and smart TVs.

 

The update comes shortly after YouTube restricted browser-based workarounds that allowed some users to play videos in the background without paying for a subscription.

YouTube Premium Lite: Details

• Price: Rs 89 per month
• Features: Ad-free videos (most content), background play, downloads

Exceptions:

• Ads will still appear on music content
• Additional features like Jump Ahead, queuing, Continue Watching and others are not included.

YouTube Premium Lite plan: What’s changing

According to the YouTube blog, Premium Lite users will also get offline downloads and background play starting today and over the coming weeks. For clarity, background play lets users continue listening to a video’s audio even when they switch to other apps or lock their device’s screen. Offline downloads, on the other hand, allow users to save videos on their devices so they can watch them later without an internet connection. YouTube said that last year it expanded the Premium Lite pilot to more markets and received feedback from users asking for features such as background play and downloads. 

 

Similar to its ad-free viewing feature, downloads and background play will work on most videos but not all content. The benefits mainly apply to non-music videos and exclude Shorts. YouTube also said users who want a completely ad-free experience, including music content and access to YouTube Music Premium, will need to subscribe to the standard YouTube Premium plan. 

 

Existing YouTube Premium plans in India

• Individual plan: Rs 149 per month
• Family plan: Rs 299 per month (add up to five members aged 13+)
• Two-person plan: Rs 219 per month (add one member aged 13+)
• Student plan: Rs 89 per month