Last year, YouTube relaunched its Premium Lite subscription plan in the global and Indian markets. This plan offered ad-free viewing for most videos, though ads still appeared on music content, Shorts or when users search or browse.
But offline downloads and background play were not available in this plan, and users needed to upgrade to the Premium plan to avail themselves. Well, not anymore, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has now announced that Background Play and Downloads are coming to YouTube’s Premium Lite subscription service.
Over the next few weeks, we’re introducing new features to our @youtube Premium Lite tier.
You’ll soon be able to enjoy most videos offline and in the background, in addition to most videos ad-free.
Excited to keep giving our subscribers more flexibility to choose the YouTube… pic.twitter.com/7vroOdAbYZ
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) February 24, 2026
Starting on 24th February, and in the coming weeks, rolling out everywhere Premium Lite is available, subscribers will be able to watch most videos ad-free, offline and in the background. An offline download option for most videos is also available now, which enables you to download videos and playlists to watch offline. These features are not available on Shorts or on music content, such as official/premium music videos, Art Tracks, children’s songs, or user-generated content that includes content from YouTube’s music partners.
The YouTube Premium Lite plan works across devices, including phone, laptop and TV. In India, it is priced at Rs 89 per month.
In case you wish to watch all videos ad-free, offline, and in the background, including music content and YouTube Music Premium, the YouTube Premium plan is still the best option.
