Google has been introducing new initiatives to improve video streaming through YouTube in India, keeping in mind the internet connectivity issues prevailing in the country. Among its efforts, the company launched YouTube Offline and Smart Offline following which it announced a new app built from scratch called YouTube Go. The app offers relatable content recommendations, is offline first and works with low connectivity or no connectivity, is cost-effective and provides a social experience. YouTube Go in its beta stage was released in February in India, but to a limited audience. YouTube Go Beta is now available for all to download and use in India. Also Read - Google workers ask Alphabet CEO to stop protecting harassers
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The app is available for download on the Google Play Store and is still in its beta stage. YouTube is yet to announce the data for the official app. YouTube Go offers something similar to the Smart Offline feature on YouTube but comes with more options and customizations. Speaking about its key features, YouTube Go sports a similar look and feel to its parent app with the home screen showing trending and popular videos in one s area and community. There is a Saved Tab as well which shows videos saved on the app.
Before saving or watching videos on YouTube Go, the app will allow users to preview the clip by tapping on the thumbnail. Keeping its promise of being data conscious, YouTube Go allows users to choose the resolution they want to save the video in. In addition to this, YouTube Go also asks users the video quality they want to watch the video in basic or standard quality. The app will also show the amount of space left in one s device or SD card before saving videos. ALSO READ: YouTube Go Beta now available for download in India; here s how it works
The app will also inform users on the amount of data that will be used on saving videos according to the different resolutions available. The social factor in YouTube Go allows users to shared videos within the app via Wi-Fi Direct which removes the need of data connectivity. ALSO READ: YouTube will now show more content in local language for Indian users
The app is actually built from scratch as folks from YouTube traveled across the country collecting views and opinions to make YouTube Go. In its blog post, YouTube seeks feedback from users while the app is still in its beta release. The YouTube Go team will also be organizing activities in Udaipur in the coming weeks to gather more insights from users on the ground . ALSO READ: YouTube viewed by 180 million users in India