According to a user named Ihatesmokealarms on the social media platform Reddit, when watching videos on the YouTube app on a smartphone, if he wants to switch to 2160p resolution (4K), he receives a notification that this resolution is only available for YouTube Premium paid users and is prompted to upgrade his account to access it.
Ihatesmokealarms’ post has sparked a lot of debate on Reddit. Some users stated that they can still watch 4K videos on the YouTube app or through web browsers without any restrictions. However, other users claim to have encountered the same issue, being asked to subscribe to a Premium account to watch 4K videos on YouTube. This suggests that YouTube may be testing this restriction in certain countries and regions rather than implementing it universally.
In reality, restricting free accounts from watching videos in 4K resolution may not significantly impact the experience, as most users currently watch videos on YouTube at HD or 2K levels. However, some are concerned that in the future, YouTube might also limit high-resolution video formats and only allow users to watch videos for free at a maximum of 480p or even lower.
Previously, Netflix also launched a free movie watching plan for Android users, but the quality was limited to 480p. It is possible that YouTube may adopt a similar policy to force users to upgrade to a paid Premium account.
Currently, YouTube has not commented on the users’ reports on Reddit.