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Google has begun to tighten restrictions on free YouTube Music accounts, and this time the changes have affected access to lyrics. Users without a paid subscription report that a limit on viewing lyrics has been introduced, after which the app offers to purchase Premium.
What initially looked like a limited experiment now appears to be being rolled out to a wider audience. The number of reports of such restrictions has increased markedly, which may indicate that the testing is expanding beyond the small experimental groups. Some users have reported that a warning appears when opening texts, indicating the remaining available views.
According to current feedback, free accounts can view approximately 5 lyrics, after which access is blocked. However, the exact number of views differs, which confirms the experimental nature of the changes.
Despite the spread of restrictions, Google has not officially announced lyrics as a Premium feature. On the company’s support pages, this feature is still not listed as a paid advantage, which causes confusion among users who have unexpectedly encountered the new rules.
In a commentary to Ars Technica, the company noted that a final decision has not yet been made. Google calls the innovation an experiment and emphasizes that the number of free views may change.
This step is reminiscent of Spotify’s decision to limit lyrics for free users in 2024. Back then, the audience’s reaction was quick and sharp. After a wave of criticism, Spotify revised the policy and returned access to lyrics for accounts with advertising. YouTube Music has a smaller market share than Spotify, so the scale of the reaction may be less noticeable.
At the same time, a significant portion of the service’s users already have a YouTube Premium subscription to avoid ads in videos, and therefore may not even notice the new restrictions. However, lyrics are of practical importance. Many listeners use them to understand the meaning of songs, learn languages, or sing along while traveling. Restricting this feature may alienate casual users who rely on free access.
The new restrictions fit into Google’s overall strategy of gradually narrowing the options for free use of YouTube. The company has previously tightened its advertising policy and limited background playback.
Financial indicators show that this strategy is working. In its latest financial report, Google reported that YouTube’s revenue reached $60 billion. This amount includes advertising revenue, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV subscriptions. The total figure increased by almost $10 billion compared to the previous year.
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