YouTube Premium subscribers who were promised an ad-free experience for $13.99 a month were met with jarring mid-playlist advertisements this week, in what appears to be an apparent Google snafu.
The glitch was first flagged by premium users who were listening to YouTube Music on their Google Home and Nest devices, Android Authority reported. On the Google Home subreddit on Feb. 20, users reported ads appearing consistently even after resetting their devices, suggesting the issue was at the account level.
Users also reported experiencing long pauses before songs played, low volume, casting problems, and issues with their YouTube Music algorithm. One user said they had been experiencing issues with home devices playing YouTube Music for the last year, prompting them to cancel their account. "They must've botched a release," wrote another user.
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The official Google Nest Community account initially responded to the complaints, saying it was investigating the reports, though it did not mention the ad issue specifically. "We are aware of an issue with playing YouTube Music on some Google Home devices. We're investigating and will provide you an update as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience," the post read.
In a follow-up comment, the Google community account said the issue had since been resolved and asked users to flag any recurring problems.
Google is in the midst of an overhaul of its smart home ecosystem, including new Gemini-powered smart speakers and Nest products like indoor security cameras.
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