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How to download YouTube videos on a Mac
Technically, you can only download YouTube videos for offline viewing with a Premium subscription, but there are ways around it and some exceptions.
It can be frustrating if you want to watch a video on your Mac but don’t have Internet connectivity, like on a plane or in a public place without a free, secure, or fast Wi-Fi connection. Technically, you can download a video from YouTube for offline viewing just like you could with a streaming service like Netflix (with the appropriate subscription). However, there are some legalities to consider, and doing so faithfully requires a YouTube Premium subscription. Here’s what you need to know.
How to download YouTube videos to your PC (or phone)
Looking to download YouTube videos on your PC or phone? Here's how you can do that regardless of what device you're using.
We've all been in a situation where we'd like to save a YouTube video to our phone, but that's not always easy. Normally, you have to pay for YouTube Premium, and even then, you have to do it on your phone using the YouTube app, and that video can only be played inside the app. While that can work for a lot of people, sometimes you might need access to a YouTube video when you're offline on your laptop, or might want to use another media player you like. If that's the case for you, we're here to show you a few ways you can download YouTube videos to your PC or phone.
YouTube Premium is about to become more expensive for some customers soon
YouTube is informing grandfathered YouTube Premium subscribers that they'll soon be charged $13.99/month; the same as everyone else.
A few months ago, Google increased the prices of YouTube Premium and YouTube Music in the United States, with the services charging $10.99/month and $13.99/month, respectively. However, some accounts were exempt from this price bump; those being subscribers to YouTube Red or Google Play Music, who were grandfathered into the YouTube Premium service. Now, Google has confirmed that the price hike will also apply to these grandfathered accounts from next month.
How to download YouTube videos on iPhone or iPad
You can easily save YouTube videos for offline viewing on your iDevice.
The latest iPhones and iPads are excellent for media consumption. They offer edge-to-edge displays that contribute to an immersive viewing experience. Though, even if you have Apple's latest 5G phone, sometimes you may be in no-service areas or on flights that don't offer Wi-Fi. During these situations, accessing online videos may become challenging, or even impossible. Fortunately, you can download YouTube videos for offline viewing on your iPhone or iPad. Whether you're on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or a slightly older OS version, the steps are the same.
YouTube experiment lets you search for songs by humming
YouTube wants to make it easier for you to identify songs just by humming or recording them within the app in its latest experiment.
It's pretty common to come across a song or a piece of music that you haven't heard before but really like while streaming your favorite TV show, sitting in a restaurant, viewing Reels on Instagram, or walking in a mall. However, it's a pain to quickly identify the chords or the lyrics playing and then search for it online to get the full experience. Some services like Apple's music recognition app Shazam and Google Assistant have already solved this problem to some extent, but YouTube is getting ready to throw its hat into the ring too.
YouTube will combat spam and scammers by removing share links from Shorts
New rules are being put into place regarding links to protect creators and viewers.
Since its launch, YouTube Shorts has exploded in popularity, especially since allowing creators to earn revenue with content. While there have been a lot of positives to come with Shorts, there have also been some negatives as well, like increased spam, spam content, and scammers. Luckily, the brand is well aware of what's going on and is now taking steps to mitigate some of these issues so creators and viewers can exist in a safer space.
YouTube removes video recommendations if watch history is disabled
YouTube is changing things up once again, and this time, it could have a huge effect on its users.
YouTube's always evolving, introducing new features that bring small and big changes to the experience. In recent months, the brand has started cracking down on adblockers, charging more for its Premium service, and has even rolled out an enhanced bitrate option. In its latest move, YouTube is making a drastic change, disabling video recommendations if a user has watch history turned off.
YouTube begins rolling out 1080p Premium enhanced bitrate option for more users
YouTube's "enhanced bitrate" 1080p Premium quality option is now rolling out to desktop web users, but as expected, it's locked behind a subscription.
Back in February, we learned that YouTube is experimenting with a new "1080p Premium" video quality option with a higher bitrate for mobile users. The company formally announced it in April when it began testing the capability on iOS, promising that more platforms would follow suit soon. It seems that it is now ready to roll out the feature more generally, with web on desktop users finally gaining this configuration too.
Google tests AI-generated summaries for YouTube videos
YouTube's new AI feature will help get a clear and accurate summary of videos you're planning to watch before actually watching them.
Google has shown us how its Duet AI can transform users' productivity in Google Workspace, but beyond that, the company is looking for more possible avenues for incorporating AI capabilities into many of its other products that are more consumer-friendly. The Mountain View tech giant is now testing a new AI feature on YouTube to allow users to get a summary of videos without actually watching them.
Google starts charging more for YouTube Premium and Music
New pricing has been revealed for both services, and even current subscribers will see price increases.
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We've had a good run, but Google is finally increasing the prices of YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. While the latter's price increase was expected since most competitors in the music-streaming business like Spotify and Apple Music have already raised prices, but the former stings a little bit more, as it seemingly comes out of the blue.
YouTube tests a new and simpler way to initiate 2x playback speed
A new feature is being tested that will give users easy access when wanting to engage 2x playback speed on videos.
YouTube's always tinkering with its service, testing new features that could one day become standard parts of the public-facing experience. In one of its more recent tests, the company started cracking down on ad blockers and also announced it would experiment with dubbing videos using AI. Although some of these are introduced without any announcement, other test features are openly made available, with some being designated exclusively to those that are subscribed to the company's Premium service.
YouTube begins cracking down on ad blockers with latest test
YouTube is now warning users with adblockers and cutting off access to videos after three offenses.
It looks like YouTube is finally cracking down on those using ad blockers, giving up to three chances before cutting off access to videos. The new three-strikes rule isn't in effect publicly just yet, but has been rolled out to some users as part of a global test. As part of this test, offenders will be given the option of disabling ad blocking software or paying for YouTube Premium.
YouTube could soon automatically dub videos using AI
The feature is expected to help viewers access content they otherwise wouldn't have been able to.
At VidCon this week, YouTube announced that it is integrating a new AI-powered tool that will automatically dub videos in other languages, thereby helping creators and viewers overcome the language barrier. The feature has been in the works for years as part of Google's Area 120 incubator for experimental projects, and was announced last year as part of the company's increased push into AI-driven features for all its products and services.
YouTube TV's multiview feature goes beyond sports with latest test
YouTube is starting to broaden its multiview feature with new content pairings.
With the increasing price of terrestrial TV plans, many users have looked to online streaming services to get a better deal for roughly the same content. But the grass isn't always greener on the other side, as increased costs to run these services have caused monthly prices to balloon. YouTube TV subscribers experienced this pain back in March when the service hiked up its price from $65 to $73 per month. In the days following the price increase, many users complained, but YouTube threw users a bone by releasing multiview to the masses during its broadcast of the March Madness tournament. Now, the company is expanding the multiview feature, going beyond sports content to include news, weather, and more.
How to back up all of your YouTube Music songs and playlists
If you're worried about losing your YouTube Music songs and playlists, you can export them all with Google Takeout.
Music is a form of expression for a lot of us, and we express ourselves by listening to music and creating playlists of our own. That's why the thought of potentially losing saved playlists can be disastrous. Luckily, if you use YouTube Music, you can back up your saved playlists and download songs through Google Takeout. Since YouTube Music is a top option often paired with the best Android phones, a lot of people use it. But, if you lose access to your YouTube Music account or decide to cancel your subscription, you'll be able to keep a record of all the songs and playlists you downloaded and created over time.
How to download your YouTube Music songs and playlists for offline listening
You can download all your songs and playlists offline with a YouTube Music subscription, but the process is different on iOS and Android.
YouTube Music is a great music streaming service, especially if you're already subscribed to YouTube Premium. With a subscription, you can download all of your songs and playlists to your smartphone, but the process differs slightly on iOS and Android. Plus, there are a few features that allow YouTube Music to automatically download songs to your device without any of your input, so there are plenty of options. This guide shows you all the ways that you can download your songs and playlists to your smartphone with a YouTube Premium subscription.
YouTube experiments with ad blocker detection on the platform
Some YouTube visitors are getting pop-up warnings to disable ad blockers as part of a new experiment
YouTube may soon deny service to devices with ad blockers as it begins experimenting with ad blocker detection on the platform. “Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube'', the video-sharing site warned some of its visitors who use ad-blocking software. A screenshot of the warning first surfaced on Reddit this week, followed by confirmation from YouTube.
YouTube starts NFL Sunday Ticket presale with $100 savings
If you're a fan of the NFL, you'll want to get in early on NFL Sunday Ticket to get the best possible pricing.
YouTube's making a huge push and statement with NFL Sunday Ticket this year. Although we're still several months away from the start of the NFL season, YouTube's announcing presale of its NFL Sunday Ticket package for YouTube TV subscribers and YouTube Primetime Channels.
YouTube Premium rolls out synced playback, SharePlay support, enhanced 1080p, and more
YouTube Premium users new and old are in for a treat, with the platform finally rolling out a few new and excellent features.
After years of peddling the same features and perks, YouTube Premium is finally getting a boost, offering users more features for the same monthly subscription fee. While all of these new these features won't appeal to everyone, there are some incredible options here, so there's bound to be at least something fore everyone.
YouTube Music for Android rolls out real-time lyrics
Time-synced lyrics are finally rolling out for YouTube Music subscribers, but unfortunately, it's not a wide release.
Most people are familiar with a lyrics page for a song, showing off lyrics and able to be viewed all in one glance. But real-time lyrics bring a special experience, you get the benefit of time-synced lyrics, that show up line by line as the artist is reciting them. While this isn't a major feature, it does make a big difference when it comes to the experience. Furthermore, it can be fun to use these same lyrics for a night of karaoke with friends and family.