Google reportedly canceling YouTube Premium subscriptions purchased using VPNs for lower pricing
Image credit — PhoneArena
This move by Google appears to be an effort to enforce regional pricing policies for YouTube Premium. The service offers varying rates for different markets based on local economic conditions and consumer expectations. By utilizing VPNs to mask their location, users were able to bypass these regional restrictions and subscribe at significantly lower prices.
According to this report, while some users have reported success in contacting customer service and reinstating their memberships, others have been informed that their cancellations are due to a change in location. Furthermore, they were advised that they need to re-subscribe using a local payment method and address to access the appropriate pricing for their region.
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For those who have been affected by these cancellations, the options are limited. They can either re-subscribe using their actual location and payment details, which will likely result in a higher monthly fee, or explore alternative ad-blocking solutions which also goes against YouTube's terms of service.
This situation highlights the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between companies like Google and users who seek ways to access services at lower costs. While VPNs can offer various benefits, such as increased privacy and security, using them to circumvent regional pricing policies raises some concerns.
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