Google brings cheaper YouTube Premium option to more Asian countries and tests super-fast AI tool for Drive scans

Google is making waves with two fresh updates today. First, it’s rolling out a budget-friendly version of YouTube Premium in a couple more places in Asia. At the same time, folks testing Google Drive are spotting a speedy new AI feature that makes scanning papers a breeze. Let’s start with the video side of things. YouTube just shared that its simpler Premium Lite plan is now heading to India.

It’s also showing up in Japan and the Philippines for those who want fewer ads without the full bells and whistles. This Lite version keeps things basic by skipping YouTube Music access and the ability to save videos for watching without internet on phones. The big win, though, is no more ads popping up during regular YouTube clips—though short videos called Shorts still have them.

In a quick update on their Indian blog, Google notes that Premium Lite kicks off at about 89 rupees a month in India, which works out to roughly a dollar. For comparison, the regular YouTube Premium costs 149 rupees, just under two bucks. Over in the States, the Lite plan sets you back 7.99 monthly. Prices can shift based on where you live, of course.

The company mentions this launch as YouTube Music and full Premium hit more than 125 million paid users around the world, counting trial folks too. A support page got a refresh this month to list Japan and the Philippines as spots where you can grab Premium Lite. Beyond these new areas, it’s already live in the US, UK, much of Europe, and spots elsewhere.

Shifting gears to file storage, Google Drive users in the experimental Workspace Labs program are trying out an upgraded scanner that’s all about speed and smarts, thanks to AI. The usual scanner in Drive has done a solid job for years, especially with its auto mode for zipping through stacks of papers. But after sprucing up the editing screen with a vibrant Material 3 look, the scanning part is leveling up too.

This fresh AI boost is turning up for select testers right in the Drive app. It brings brighter colors and fresh button setups to make things feel modern. The spot to add photos from your gallery stays put, but the snap button slides over to the side. Gone is the old toggle for manual or auto modes—it jumps straight into scanning on its own.

A simple stop button lets you hit pause if needed, but the camera keeps an eye out for pages, drawing a colorful border in greens and blues around them, kind of like what you see on Samsung phones. Since it’s hands-free, you can just turn the page or swap documents in front of the lens to build a whole multi-page file in no time flat. It’s a real time-saver for anyone dealing with receipts, forms, or notes that need digitizing quickly.