More people should use this lesser-known YouTube Premium feature

The hustle and bustle of everyday life can get in the way of keeping up with your favorite shows and movies. You don’t always have time to sit on your couch and stream the latest content. Sometimes, you have to squeeze in some relaxation wherever you can get it. That includes during your morning or nighttime commute, while traveling, or even while sitting in the waiting room at the dentist. If you’re committed to watching your shows, you’ll stop at nothing to enjoy them.

Of course, there are things that can get in the way of you enjoying shows and movies. Spotty Wi-Fi connections or even no cellular service can directly affect how much you’re able to stream and watch. That’s why being able to download videos offline is a huge game-changer for many who want to watch on a subway or a plane. YouTube Premium makes it easy for subscribers to download videos to watch when it is convenient for them, not whenever they have service.

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What is YouTube Premium?

It differs from regular YouTube

YouTube Premium is a paid membership that enhances how you use YouTube. It is different from a regular YouTube account and a YouTube TV account. YouTube Premium lets you watch all kinds of videos without having to sit through boring ads. It also lets you continue to watch videos, or at least listen to them in the background, while you do things on other mobile apps. This means you can scroll Instagram while listening to a video on how to make a recipe for dinner.

YouTube Premium also gives you a subscription to YouTube Music without having to pay for one. Of course, you’re able to sign up for YouTube Music on its own, but with a YouTube Premium account, a subscription is included. With a YouTube Premium account, you are also able to listen to YouTube Music on your Google Home or Chromecast Audio.

However, the biggest perk, at least for me, is that having a YouTube Premium subscription gives you access to download videos from YouTube to be able to watch them when you don’t have service or Wi-Fi. The videos are stored on your device, able to be watched whenever you want.

A YouTube Premium account costs $13.99 per month for an individual account. But there are family accounts that cost $22.99 per month, which gives you up to six family member accounts. There is also a student account for $7.99 per month, but this needs annual verification from the student.

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How to download videos on YouTube Premium

Save the videos and view them at the drop of a hat

YouTube / Pocket-lint

Let’s say you’re scrolling YouTube and trying to find the perfect compilation video of skateboard fails to show your friends. You’ve found one, but you want to save it for later. You can bookmark it, but just in case you are on a plane and want to watch it then or are in the subway underground and there isn’t any service, you want to be able to watch it without interruption. With YouTube Premium, you can download the video to watch at your leisure.

1. Open the YouTube app.
2. Make sure your YouTube Premium account is logged in.
3. Go to the Watch page or scroll for a video in the search bar.
4. Find the video you want to download.
5. Tap the Download button below the video.

The video is then downloaded to your device and the video will show up with a download icon that has turned black to indicate you’ve downloaded it. In order to view your downloaded videos:

1. Sign into your Premiium account in the YouTube app.
2. Tap your profile picture in the corner of the screen.
3. Click on Downloads.

Your downloaded video library will appear and you can watch these videos whenever. Once you’ve finished watching the video, you can delete it from your downloads two different ways. First, when in the Downloads portion of your profile, you can tap the More button next to the video. From there, select Delete from downloads. If you are in the video itself, you can click underneath it where the download button is and then select Delete.

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How to change the download settings on YouTube Premium

The videos can look different ways

If you want to change the way that you download your videos with YouTube Premium, you are able to alter the quality. It generally takes a lot longer for higher quality videos to download. This can double or even triple when the video is longer. If you want to download a video quicker because you’re in a time crunch and realize you’re going to lose service soon, choosing a lower quality option like 720p is possible.

It only takes a few taps and you’re able to jump in and download a video faster.

1. Open the YouTube app and log in to your YouTube Premium account.
2. Tap your profile picture.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Scroll down to Background & downloads. Tap on Download quality.
5. Choose the quality that you want to change it to.

This allows you to then go back into the Watch page or search bar, find a video, and download it in that quality. When you want to change it, you can just repeat this process and download higher quality options.

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