The plans of YouTube users who managed to hide their location with a virtual private network (VPN) and get a cheaper premium membership appear to be over.
In the US, Google charges individual users $14/month YouTube Premium limits ads and offers some extra features, but prices vary widely by region and Some Reddit users He said he had previously been able to get better terms by pretending to access the service from another country. PC Mug and TechCrunch Google reportedly charges the equivalent of $3 or less per month in countries including Argentina, India, Turkey, Ukraine and the Philippines. Android AuthorityBut it appears that the workaround failed.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter, but a support staff member at the internet giant reportedly told PCMag that YouTube recently began canceling premium plans for “accounts found to have falsified country registration information.” YouTube Help The page instructs potential subscribers to turn off their VPN if they encounter an error while signing up for Premium.
The thing is, VPNs have a variety of uses, and Google even sold one in the past. Google One services were discontinued in AprilApparently, this was due to lack of popularity. While some people may use VPNs for discounts, others use them to access content or features that aren’t available where they live.
The apparent crackdown is just the latest in Google’s efforts to squeeze more profit out of the video site. They’ve stepped up their crackdown on ad blockers Prevents users of services like AdBlock from watching YouTube videos.