YouTube discovered recently that it had been testing an update that conceals 4K video resolution options behind the Premium paywall. To view videos at 4K resolution, you’ll need a YouTube Premium membership.
The news was very disappointing as there were many 4K-monitors and TV owners who wouldn’t be able to use the high resolution display unless they paid a monthly fee. The good news is that it looks like YouTube’s experiment has come to an end.
We have completely stopped this experiment. 4K quality resolutions should now be available to viewers without premium membership. If you have any questions, we are available.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 17, 2022
YouTube replied to one user with a tweet confirming that it had disabled the experiment. Now all users can access the 4K resolution option, even non-Premium ones. Keep in mind that while this experiment was ongoing, it didn’t affect all users so if you weren’t affected by this previously, then this update isn’t going to make any difference.
Another thing you should note is that not every video creator uploads videos in 4K. This could be a problem depending on your viewing habits. Either way, it’s good to see that YouTube has decided against locking behind 4K quality videos behind a paywall, so hopefully we won’t be seeing it return in a different form in the future.
Source: Android Authority
