이제 더 많은 사용자가 노래 가사를 위해 YouTube Music에 비용을 지불해야 합니다

Source: Android Authority

I Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

TL;DR

• Google은 더 많은 사용자에게 YouTube Music 가사를 유료 장벽 뒤로 이동시켜, 기본 앱 기능을 프리미엄 전용 혜택으로 바꾸고 있습니다.
• 무료 사용자는 가사 5번만 볼 수 있고, 그 이후부터는 구독 안내가 표시됩니다.
• 처음 몇 줄은 여전히 보이지만, 전체 가사를 보려면 YouTube Music Premium 또는 YouTube Premium이 필요합니다.

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.

Once a staple freebie everyone took for granted, full lyrics are now gated behind a YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium subscription, according to several user posts on Reddit. Free users can still see the Lyrics tab while playing a song, but they only get five free lyric views. After that, the rest are blurred, and a message encourages you to “Unlock lyrics with Premium.”

당신은 완전히 차단된 것은 아니며, 노래 가사의 첫 몇 줄은 여전히 볼 수 있지만 경험은 명백히 제한됩니다.

For years, lyrics have been a standard feature in music streaming, often provided by third‑party services like Musixmatch. Spotify tried a similar paywall last year but changed course after users pushed back. Google, on the other hand, seems more committed to making users pay for this feature.

This change follows a big year for Google’s subscription business. During Alphabet’s Q4 2025 earnings call, the company said it has over 325 million paid subscribers across its services, and YouTube ads and subscriptions brought in more than $60 billion in 2025. By limiting lyrics, Google is betting that people will pay $10.99 a month for Music Premium or $13.99 for the full YouTube Premium bundle just to keep following along with songs.

Android Authority has reached out to Google for a statement, and we will update this article when we hear from the company.

Lyrics might seem like a small detail, but for many listeners they are an important part of enjoying music. Whether people sing along, look for meaning, or check a chorus, lyrics are a basic feature that many other services still offer for free.