What’s the Difference Between YouTube Subscriptions and Memberships?

Understanding YouTube Subscriptions: What Does Subscribed Mean on YouTube?

Updated on September 5th, 2024

Navigating the world of YouTube can sometimes be confusing, especially when it comes to understanding the various terms and features associated with the platform. One commonly used term is “subscribed,” which may leave you wondering, “What does subscribed mean on YouTube?” In this article, we’ll clarify the meaning of this term and explain the difference between a YouTube subscription, YouTube Premium, and a YouTube membership.

 

Subscribing to a YouTube Channel: A Free and Easy Way to Support Creators

Subscribing to a YouTube channel is an easy and free way to show your support for your favorite content creators. When you subscribe to a channel, you’ll receive notifications when new videos are uploaded, making it easier for you to stay up-to-date with the latest content from your favorite creators. To subscribe, all you have to do is click the “SUBSCRIBE” button located under any video from the channel.

When you ask “What does subscribed mean on YouTube,” it’s essential to understand that subscribing does not require any financial commitment. Instead, it simply helps increase the visibility and reach of a content creator, as a higher number of subscribers can lead to better discoverability and more opportunities for the creator to grow their channel.

What is Hitting the Bell on a YouTube Channel?

You can sign up to receive notifications whenever a channel you’re interested in posts a video. If you’ve ever heard a YouTuber tell you to “hit that bell,” they are asking you to opt-in to receive notifications from them. This isn’t a necessary step to subscribe to or follow a YouTube Channel. This is a totally optional step. If you want to unsubscribe from alerts, you just click the bell icon again to disable notifications.

Is it Dangerous to Subscribe to a YouTube Channel?

Subscribing to a YouTube channel is not dangerous. It does not give video creators or other users any login access to your personal account. At most, a creator may view your personal YouTube profile when they see you have subscribed to them, but they will not be able to see your personal contact information. By default, other users can’t view a YouTuber’s subscriber list. However, if a content creator has set their subscriber list to public, your channel name, account name, and photo will be visible to anyone who chooses to look through the subscriber list.

How Do I Unsubscribe From a YouTube Channel?

Unsubscribing from a channel is as easy as subscribing! Simply navigate to the channel you want to unsubscribe from by searching their name in the search bar. Click on their profile and hit the “unsubscribe” button. This will unsubscribe you from their channel. It will also unsubscribe you from any channel alerts or notifications you had previously subscribed to.

Are My YouTube Subscriptions Private?

Other users may be able to view what channels you are subscribed to on YouTube depending on your privacy settings. To make your subscriptions private, visit Youtube.com/account and select the “Privacy” tab. 

We’ve included a screenshot below of what the dashboard looks like, and where to click on the subscription privacy toggle to turn your private subscription history on or off. On YouTube, a BLUE toggle means that a setting is ON, a BLACK or GREY toggle means that a setting is OFF. In the example photo, the private subscription history is on.

If you have concerns about what other information is publicly visible from your YouTube profile, you can review your privacy settings at any time by visiting the YouTube Account page linked above. 

YouTube Memberships: Supporting Creators Financially

While subscribing to a YouTube channel is free, the platform also offers an optional feature called YouTube memberships. A YouTube membership requires a monthly monetary contribution, which directly supports the content creator. This financial assistance helps YouTube creators continue to make videos on a full-time basis, allowing you to enjoy more of their content.

In exchange for your monthly contribution, YouTube memberships often provide exclusive perks and benefits, such as custom emojis, members-only live chats, early access to new videos, and behind-the-scenes content. These perks vary depending on the creator’s preferences and can serve as an incentive for fans to financially support their favorite channels. 

How Do I Cancel a YouTube Membership?

You can cancel your YouTube channel memberships at any time. Just go to youtube.com/paid_memberships to manage your membership settings. If a channel offers different membership tiers, you can upgrade or downgrade your subscription here, as well.

YouTube Premium: Remove Ads From Your YouTube Watching Experience

On top of Subscriptions and Memberships, YouTube also offers YouTube Premium subscriptions. A YouTube Premium subscription does NOT go toward any singular creator. A premium subscription does not grant you the same channel benefits as a channel membership does. Instead, YouTube Premium offers its own benefits. For most users, the most attractive feature of this subscription is that YouTube Premium subscribers do not have to watch ads before or during their videos. This means an interruption-free watching experience for you. You also get access to unlimited music on YouTube music with your subscription.

How Do I Cancel a YouTube Premium Subscription?

How to cancel your YouTube Premium Subscription depends on how you subscribed. If you are signed up through the Apple Store or the Google Play Store, you will need to access your shop account to deactivate. If you subscribed directly through YouTube, you can cancel through YouTube.

Cancel YouTube Premium from Google Play Store

You can easily cancel your YouTube Subscription from the Google Play Store. To begin, open up the Google Play app.

  1. Tap your profile picture
  2. Tap Paid memberships
  3. Tap the membership you want to cancel
  4. Tap Continue to cancel
  5. Select your reason for canceling and tap Next
  6. Tap Yes, cancel

 

Cancel YouTube Premium from Apple App Store

You can easily cancel your YouTube Subscription from the Apple App store. To begin, open up the App Store.

  1. Tap your profile picture
  2. Tap Paid memberships
  3. Tap the membership you want to cancel
  4. Tap Manage Apple Subscriptions
  5. Tap your membership
  6. Tap Cancel

 

Cancel YouTube Premium from YouTube

You can easily cancel your YouTube Subscription from YouTube. To begin, open up YouTube and make sure you are signed into the account you would like to cancel from.

  1. Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships
  2. Click Manage Membership
  3. Click Deactivate
  4. Click Continue to cancel
  5. Select your reason for canceling
  6. Click Next
  7. Click Yes, cancel

 

Make the Most of Your YouTube Experience

Understanding “what does subscribed mean on YouTube” is crucial for making the most of your YouTube experience. Subscribing to a channel is a free and straightforward way to stay connected with your favorite creators and their content. On the other hand, a YouTube membership is an optional, paid feature that provides additional perks and benefits while helping creators financially. Finally, a YouTube Premium subscription is a good option for viewers who want to watch uninterrupted.

Whether you choose to subscribe or become a member, your support plays an essential role in helping content creators grow and thrive on the platform. Also, remember that having a YouTube account means keeping track of your security as well. If you’re running a business YouTube account, visit our service page that talks about the cybersecurity services in Idaho we offer.