YouTube Go, a new app announced at 'Google for India' event in September is now available for download on Google Play Store. The beta version of YouTube Go allows users to download and share YouTube videos.
Google says YouTube Go is a new app built from scratch to capture the next billion users affected by slower internet speed. YouTube Go is supposedly lighter than the main YouTube app and consumers much less data. The homepage of YouTube Go shows a list of video recommendations and allows users to either play or save for offline viewing.
"The app is designed to be offline first and work even when there’s low or no connectivity. It's also cost-effective, providing transparency and reducing data usage," Johanna Wright, Vice President of Product Management, YouTube said in a blog post.
While main YouTube app allows videos to be saved in different resolutions, YouTube Go supports only basic and standard quality. Once saved, YouTube Go users can share that video with their friends without internet connection or using data. The app uses Wi-Fi Direct for sharing the video by turning on Bluetooth and setting up a wireless hotspot. The shared video is saved on YouTube Go app and of course, the recipient will need the app to receive the offline video. YouTube Go is launching only in India and will support English, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Gujarati languages.