Now even more users have to pay YouTube Music for song lyrics (Update: Google statement)

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.

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 you only get five free lyric views. After that, the rest are blurred, and a message encourages you to “Unlock lyrics with Premium.”

You’re not completely cut off, since you can still see the first few lines of a song’s lyrics, but the experience is clearly limited.

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 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.