It's no secret that YouTube's Premium Family plan is one of the best deals in streaming. For about $23 a month, you and five other family members can ditch the ads on YouTube and get full access to YouTube Music. It’s a fantastic way to share the love without breaking the bank. But there’s always been a catch buried in the terms of service: everyone is supposed to live in the same household. For years, YouTube never really seemed to care, but it looks like the party might be winding down.
Would you cancel your YouTube Premium subscription if you can’t share it with family members elsewhere?
Yes
90%
No
10%
Reports are now surfacing that YouTube is starting to enforce this rule. Some users are receiving emails with the ominous title, "Your YouTube Premium family membership will be paused." The message explains that because the user doesn’t appear to be in the same household as the family manager, their Premium access will be paused in 14 days. You’ll stay in the family group, but you’ll be watching YouTube with ads again, which is a tough pill to swallow once you’ve had the Premium experience.
Warning from YouTube that Premium Membership will be paused. | Image credit — Android Police
Now, before we get too upset, it's worth remembering that YouTube is just catching up to the competition here. Spotify has been the stickler for family plan location rules for years, at one point even controversially using GPS checks to verify user locations. So, while it’s annoying, it’s not exactly a new concept in the streaming world.
However, this whole situation is a bit of a mess for those of us who have been using the plan with family across different cities or states—think college kids or retired parents. While I get it from a business perspective, it feels like a rug pull. For what it’s worth, I have a family plan and have an adult daughter who lives 3 hours away and is on it. For now, my account seems to be safe, but I'm not so sure now how long that will last. The rollout seems scattered, but if you’re in a similar boat, you might want to prepare for that dreaded email to eventually hit your inbox.
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