YouTube Premium is one of the few subscriptions I’m happy to pay for. Given the deluge of unskippable ads on YouTube, I’m glad there’s a paid tier.
In addition to an ad-free experience, a premium subscription also includes background games and a handful of experimental features that regular users don’t get. Now YouTube is rolling out a new experiment for premium subscribers that may really change the way you watch videos.
It’s called “Auto Speed” and does what the name suggests. Instead of manually changing your playback speed, Auto Speed ​​does it for you. The feature automatically adjusts the playback speed of your video throughout your viewing session, allowing you to move through the content faster without losing track of what’s being said.
How to access the Auto Speed ​​feature on YouTube
If you are a YouTube Premium subscriber, you can now enable the feature through the experimental YouTube feature. Even after enabling the experimental Auto Speed ​​feature, I don’t currently see an option to turn it on, so it appears the feature is being rolled out gradually.
But YouTube has detailed the steps, so here’s what you need to do. While playing a video, tap the Settings button, open the playback controls, and turn on the Auto Speed ​​switch.
Now YouTube dynamically adjusts playback speed so you can watch videos faster without sacrificing clarity.
Is there a catch?
There are a few things you should know before you get too excited. Auto Speed ​​is only available on Android and iOS, so desktop users will have to wait or be stuck with manually controlling playback speed.
It only works with English-language videos, which limits its usefulness depending on what you’re watching. Plus, it’s only available until April 27th, so you don’t have much time left to test it out.
However, if you are a YouTube Premium subscriber, this is a nice bonus in addition to the ad-free experience
