Skip to main content

YouTube Go beta launches in India

YouTube Go beta launches in India

/

Designed with offline viewing in mind

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Google announced today that a public YouTube Go beta is now available for users to try out in India. The new app is a redesigned version of the YouTube Go app announced last September, which is specifically focused on offering an improved experience in areas with poor connectivity.

To that end, YouTube Go has a few standout features from the regular YouTube app designed to help reduce data consumption. First and foremost is the ability to control your streaming by offering the option to download videos at different resolutions instead of streaming — something that’s only offered to YouTube Red subscribers in most regions — and allowing users to watch quick previews of videos before they choose to download or stream them by tapping on the thumbnail.

YouTube Go was also “designed to be offline first,” according to the company, so in addition to the option to just download videos, users can share them locally to friends without requiring an internet connection (aside from a 15KB security check when first playing a shared video).

The YouTube Go beta is available to download now on the Play Store in India. Google has yet to announce further plans for rolling out the app beyond the country at this time.