Part of the ‘Google for India’ campaign, the search giant had announced last September that it will build a new YouTube app which will allow users to control how much data they consume while a video is being watched or downloaded.
That YouTube Go app is now live in India and is available for download on the Google Play Store. However, only the app’s beta version is available for download as a part of the early access programme. The app allows you to download or play most YouTube videos on your device, but only in ‘Basic’ and ‘Standard’ quality. Also, data compression won’t allow the ability to minimize the currently playing video, so you can browse other content at the same time. The app will also miss out features which include Trending videos, Subscriptions and Recommended videos. However, you can still preview videos before you download them.
Once you fire up the app, you’ll be asked to choose your preferred language, among tonnes of Indian regional languages. Once past that, the app will ask for your mobile number for one-time verification and to simplify the process of sharing. The app allows offline viewing and preview of videos, where a click on the video thumbnail will trigger the quick preview feature. The app also allows sharing of videos which have been downloaded without data connectivity.
