If you’re sharing an ad-free YouTube Premium or YouTube Music account with friends or family who live outside of your home, you could lose your premium privileges. Customers who lose these can still watch YouTube or listen to music with ads — but let’s be real, it’s not the same.
Multiple reports have shown people who have the service have been receiving notices that their premium service will be paused for 15 days due to violating a policy that’s been in place since 2023.
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A representative for YouTube’s parent company Google did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
On its support page, YouTube says that an account manager can add up to five family members in a household to their Premium membership. But, the post says, “Family members sharing a YouTube family plan must live in the same household as the family manager.” Groups can only be changed once every 12 months.
YouTube has been testing a two-household plan that would offer a discount for those who want to share, but that plan is not yet available in the US.
YouTube offers a one-month trial for its Premium and Music accounts, which cost $23 per month.
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