The YouTube Premium family plan all started
with a single, innocent ad. You know that blaring at full volume right in the
middle of your peaceful 2 AM night session, "Have you tried this game
where you build your own empire, marry a dragon, and war with your cousin Jake?"
That was the day I realized I really needed
YouTube Premium. Not wanted but crucially needed. Not just for me, but simply for
everyone. For the greater good, for my family, for the brand-new world.
My first mistake was calling a family
meeting. We hadn't done that since Dad tried to implement “Tech-Free Tuesdays”
and my mom smuggled her Kindle under the table like a teenager.
This time, I entered the meeting with
confidence and a well-structured plan. “Listen,” I said. “We’re becoming a
YouTube Premium Family. One plan, six profiles, no ads.” The biggest silence
I’ve ever seen. Then the question comes: “Who’s paying?” Of course, my dad asked
it. Then, “Can I still watch mukbangs without judgment?” That was my little
sister.
Still then, “What happens if someone
watches my “special” stuff and messes up my algorithm?” asked my big brother. We
all had questions and suspicions. The only thing I know for sure is that we
need this YouTube Premium family plan.
Now, in order to put the plan together, we need
a Family Manager. Someone who has grown up and is responsible. To handle
billing and drama.
So naturally, we gave it to my older
brother. The same one who locked himself out of his Gmail for a month once
because he couldn't remember the answer to “What's your favorite food?”
Why? Because he had a credit card with a
limit on it. He stepped into his new position with the self-satisfaction of
someone who'd just been crowned king of a very minor, dysfunctional kingdom.
He'd already made the group's name "Premium Empire" and created a
group chat by the name of "Slaves of My Streaming Realm." Great, just
great.
We wanted to start, but actually we really
didn’t know where to start. So, our family manager did some research to rule
the YouTube realm. Want to learn how to start a YouTube Premium Family Plan?
Here's the shortcut:
Take the goods that the gods provide,
because I stole that important information from my manager. (I mean my big
brother.)
·
A Google account is needed, and
of course, emotional stability (optional).
·
Go to families.google.com.
·
Create a family group.
·
All need to have the same
physical address.
·
Invite guests; wait for chaos
to RSVP.
·
Visit youtube.com/paid_memberships.
·
Upgrade to the Family Plan and
stream like kings and queens.
No ads, distinct profiles, YouTube Music
Premium for all, and endless judgment-free mukbangs are a plus. Or is it?
At first, everything was fine. Six distinct
profiles and we were all fine. Everyone promised to leave each other alone.
Then on Day 3, chaos erupted.
Someone whose code name is mom, didn't
switch accounts and watched an hour of embroidery tutorials… on my account.
YouTube suddenly thought I was a middle-aged cross-stitch expert with a second
interest in historical drama soundtracks.
And my dad, now he gets weekly
recommendations for seafood boils and people eating 100 boiled eggs for cash.
He's too scared to ask who is responsible for that, but I know who it is. The mukbang
addict.
And of course there is Granny. God bless
her, she just clicks on the first face she sees as a profile and assumes the
rest is fate. So now my brother's carefully curated music feed is 80% accordion
wedding song covers. Which he insists is "kind of a vibe."
Technically, Google has rules.
·
You can only join the Family
Plan if you all live at the same physical address.
·
You can’t just invite your
gaming buddy from the other side of the country.
·
You can’t switch family groups
more than once a year.
But in our house? The rules within the
rules were way worse.
·
Rule #1: You are responsible
for your own profile. If you watch something dumb on someone else’s account,
you owe them coffee.
·
Rule #2: Never, ever mess with
the Family Manager unless you want to find yourself exiled to Basic YouTube
with 45-second unskippable ads.
·
Rule #3: Don’t act surprised
when YouTube thinks you love something just because you left Grandma alone with
your phone.
YouTube Music Premium sounded like a dream,
but the dream ended early.
It all started with my dad. He made a
playlist called “MUSIC”. It’s 43 songs long; almost all of them are oldies except
for one Ariana Grande song. My sister created “Midnight Vibes But In a Sad Way.”
It has five songs and 57 subscribers, and she now thinks she is famous. Me? I
made a workout playlist that somehow became Grandma’s go-to channel for baking.
I named the playlist “Granny Rocks”; you can find it on Spotify.
Then came the offline downloads drama. One
day, I opened my phone to find I had zero storage left. Why? Because someone
downloaded 74 ASMR videos “just in case the power goes out.” I asked who, and no
one confessed, as expected. But Grandma had a suspicious smile and very relaxed
shoulders.
There was one evening, Tuesday, 9:17 PM, when
all six of us tried to stream at once. The Wi-Fi trembled. YouTube paused.
Screams were heard. “You can’t watch cat videos right now; I’m watching the
finance guy!” And then, “Why is the router blinking like that? Is this because
of your algorithm?” Unfortunately, then, “WHO’S USING 4K? TURN IT OFF!” Finally…
silence.
It was Mom. Holding the modem is like
holding a sacred relic. She whispered, “If y’all don’t calm down, I’m turning
this whole family plan into a yoga retreat subscription.” We all sat down. We apologize.
We promised to respect each other’s streaming space.
YouTube brought us back from the edge.
Despite the misclicks, the profile mix-ups,
the never-ending “Who watched this on my account?” fights… the YouTube Premium
Family Plan actually works. No ads. No accidental algorithm sabotage (most of
the time). No shared logins or shady group texts that end with “DID SOMEONE
CHANGE THE PASSWORD?”
It's the kind of peace that only comes from
separate histories, personal identities, and the quiet power of uninterrupted
background play. More importantly? It made us a little bit more of a team. A
dysfunctional one, sure. But a team, nonetheless.
You must have the same address. Like, for
real.
You can have a maximum of six people on the
plan.
Only one person, the Family Manager, can
manage the invites (and the exile button).
Once you are part of a family group, you're
stuck for a year. So, choose your online family wisely.
Absolutely, yes. Because in the end, YouTube Premium Family
Plan isn’t just about removing ads. It’s about keeping peace. And maybe, just
maybe, learning to love accordion covers.