The plan now costs $22.99 per month. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
A YouTube Premium family plan now costs $22.99 per month following a price hike, as reported by 9to5Google. The family tier offers benefits like ad-free viewing and background playback for you and up to five other people, and it now costs $5 more per month.
The price change is already in effect for new subscribers, meaning you can’t sign up at the previous $17.99 price any longer. For current subscribers, “this change will take place on your next billing cycle starting on or after November 21, 2022,” YouTube said in an email shared by 9to5Google. However, if you were grandfathered in at a lower price as a former Google Play Music subscriber, you’ll pay that lower rate until your April billing date, according to an email sent to a Verge staffer.
If you’re not happy about the price increase, Google has a support page where you can air your grievances. But you’ll essentially be tossing your complaints into the void, as the company outright says that “you will not receive a response.” The company did switch off a divisive experiment locking 4K videos behind a Premium subscription, but I have a feeling this family plan price increase is here to stay.
Google didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. The cost of an individual YouTube Premium plan remains unchanged at $11.99 per month.