YouTube Premium is the paid subscription that removes ads from YouTube (while still paying the video creator) and adds other features. Google is now updating it with even more functionality.

YouTube Premium now includes a new 1080p HD video quality option with a higher bitrate, available on iPhone and iPad and marked as an "experiment" on the web. Google says the new option makes 1080p video look "extra crisp and clear," especially videos with more motion, like games and sports. Switching to 4K playback has often been used for the same purpose -- even on screens with a lower resolution than 4K, those videos often look better than the regular 1080p option.

Premium subscribers will also now be able to use Apple SharePlay, the feature that allows people on Apple devices to watch content together over FaceTime -- like a less cumbersome version of screen sharing. As TechCrunch notes, Google Meet already supports watching YouTube videos as a group, but only the person starting the call needs a YouTube Premium subscription. Discord screen sharing also works without Premium, though your maximum video quality might vary there.

Finally, YouTube Premium will allow phones and tablets to add videos to the current queue, which was previously only available on the desktop site. That means you can add a few videos to the queue playlist, and they'll play one after the other.

The new features might take a while to fully roll out, especially the new 1080p quality option, since that requires Google's servers to re-encode each video. YouTube Premium still costs $11.99 per month for an individual subscription, $119.99 for the annual plan, or $22.99 per month for the family plan.

Source: TechCrunch