If Your YouTube Quality Is Poor on T-Mobile, Disable Binge
T-Mobile ‘s newest plan to reduce data limits, Binge On , may have an unpleasant downside. According to YouTube, the operator is reducing all video streams to 480p, even if the service is not included in Binge On and still counts towards your data cap.
For the uninitiated, Binge On works like this: According to T-Mobile, if a video service meets certain “technical requirements,” it can go to Binge On. T-Mobile customers can then stream videos from that service as much as they like, regardless of their data limit.
The trade-off is that to meet this demand, T-Mobile limits all videos in Binge On to 480p. Of course, this feature is optional, so if you don’t like this kind of sacrifice, you can turn it off. Unlimited streaming in low quality or limited streaming in high quality. Not the worst choice in the world.
The problem, YouTube explains, is that T-Mobile restricts video services that are not included in Binge On. This means that T-Mobile customers who watch YouTube videos cannot get more than 480p and any video they stream counts against their data cap unless they turn off all unlimited video streaming. Even though YouTube is not included in the dedicated unlimited club, it still receives a quality penalty.
If you are using YouTube on T-Mobile and have noticed that YouTube’s quality level has become noticeably worse lately, here’s how to fix it:
- Log in to your T-Mobile account online.
- In the upper right corner, click Profile.
- In the right pane, click Media Options.
- Turn off the Warm Up switch.
Be aware that this will increase your data consumption when using services such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO, or most video streaming services other than YouTube. However, if you want to temporarily improve the quality, you can turn this feature on and off as you wish.
YouTube Says T-Mobile Limits Its Video Traffic | Wall Street Journal via Android Police