Update, February 9, 2026 (05:00 PM ET): Google has responded to our inquiry about paywalling YouTube Music lyrics with the following statement:
“We are running an experiment with a small percentage of ad-supported users that may impact their ability to access the lyrics feature repeatedly. We often run experiments on YouTube Music to better inform our decisions around feature improvements. The majority of our global users will not see any changes to the lyrics feature.”
Despite the wider reports we’re seeing, the company is adamant that this is still just a test, and that most users still have access to lyrics. We also hear that Google’s considering both weekly and monthly caps on the number of lyric lookups ad-supported users may be allowed.
Original article, February 9, 2026 (05:45 AM ET): If you fire up YouTube Music today and wonder why the lyrics you used to scroll through on the train are suddenly limited, you’re not imagining things. After months of poking and prodding with limited tests, Google is pulling the plug on free lyrics for more users, turning one of the app’s most basic features into a Premium-exclusive perk.