While it’s nearly been five years since YouTube Premium came to the MENA region, it looks like its getting a price increase across all its subscription tiers.
According to Android Authority, the price increases rolled out to many countries worldwide (excluding the US and few others) and covers both individual and family tiers. The US and few other countries already saw price increases since last year and in the past few months (India included).
Currently, price increases in the MENA region have covered the following countries
| Country | Previous Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | Single: AED 23.99/month Family: AED 35.99/month | Single: AED 26.99/month Family: AED 48.99/month |
| Saudi Arabia | Single: SAR 23.98/month Family: SAR 35.98/month | Single: SAR 26.99/month Family: SAR 49.99/month |
In case you also missed the news, Google is also cracking down on people using VPN to get a cheaper YouTube Premium plan by spoofing their location. Over the summer, Google confirmed to various tech publications that they were cancelling Premium subscriptions for those who violated the Terms of Service by falsifying their location.
While it’s cheaper to subscribe via the web (laptop/desktop), note that Apple has announced that any subscriptions made via the App Store will be required to follow their payment rules i.e. they take a 30% cut, hence they’ll be priced higher if you subscribe from an iOS/iPadOS device. Best if you avoid taking the mobile route to save yourself some money.
If you’ve seen price changes happening in your country as a current Premium subscriber, let me know below. On a slightly more positive note, YouTube has also teased new pricing tiers that should provide more options for people.
