Google’s slimmed-down YouTube Go app is coming to more than 130 countries

By Brenda Stolyar Updated February 1, 2018

Google’s latest YouTube app — YouTube Go — has been available in select countries for a few months now. Now, the company is looking to expand it massively — to more than a hefty 130 countries. The lightweight app allows users who have little internet bandwidth to watch videos offline while also being able to control their data.

The beta version was originally launched in September, and Google described it as an app “built from scratch” to bring YouTube to “the next generation of viewers” — people saddled with unstable internet connections. It’s specifically created to work with slow speeds and a small amount of storage.

Recommended Videos

“We realized that for the next generation of YouTube users to fully discover all that YouTube has to offer, we had to reimagine the YouTube mobile app from the ground up,” Johanna Wright, YouTube’s vice president of product management, wrote in a blog post. “[Indian viewers’] experience is not great on slower connections and less powerful mobile phones.”

For those who want to keep track of the data being used, YouTube Go includes data-saving features. You can choose to download or watch videos, as well as preview them before committing to a download. The app also allows you to choose how many megabytes you use on videos.

With YouTube Go, you have the option to download the videos to your phone or SD card, and you can watch them even if you have slow or no internet connection. You’re able to choose between basic quality, standard quality, and high quality before pressing play or choosing to download it.

Even with limited internet, videos should play without buffering, and downloading content will have no extra data cost. If you want to share with friends and family, transferring videos also uses no data.

Not all of YouTube Go’s features are new. In 2014, Google launched YouTube Offline, a setting within the YouTube app that lets users download videos. Smart Offline, which launched last year, automatically schedules downloads on days and times when networks are least congested.

YouTube Go is available for download in the Google Play Store in more than 130 countries. We don’t have a full list of those countries yet. The app also works on Android 4.1, Jelly Bean and up.

Update: YouTube Go is expanding to more than 130 countries.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brenda became obsessed with technology after receiving her first Dell computer from her grandpa in the second grade. While…

Mobile

Do you have Verizon? You can now get YouTube Premium for a lot cheaper

Two iPhones showing comparison of YouTube Premium prices.

It's not very often that a U.S. carrier wants to save you money. However, that's the case with the latest Verizon promotions.

Whether you're a new or longtime Verizon user, the company is now offering YouTube Premium as one of its myPlan perks. It costs $10 per month, which is a 30% savings compared to the normal $14 monthly rate. With YouTube Premium, you can watch millions of videos ad-free and gain access to YouTube Music Premium. The YouTube Premium offering goes live tomorrow, May 30. It's the latest of other perks Verizon has added with its myPlan overhaul from a little over a year ago.

Mobile

Google is making it easier for you to find and download Android apps

Google Play on the Oppo Find N2.

Google announced a wide range of features for Android phones at the I/O 2024 developers conference earlier today. However, the event was not all about user-facing changes. The company also revealed a handful of new tricks for developers to showcase their apps effectively while maintaining a vigilant eye on safety.

Among the most important changes -- one that is also going to make life easier for users - is support for more payment options. The most notable of these is support for installment subscriptions, which has already yielded positive results for developers in the early access phase.

Mobile

A new Google Pixel Tablet is coming, but it’s not what you think

Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

It's been almost a year since the Google Pixel Tablet went up for preorder, leading many Android tablet fans to wonder when the inevitable Pixel Tablet 2 will arrive. A new rumor suggests that Google could release a new Pixel Tablet as early as next month, but it's probably not what you were expecting or hoping for.

According to @MysteryLupin on X (formerly Twitter), Google is planning to "relaunch" the Pixel Tablet without the charging/speaker dock included in the box. As you'll likely recall, the speaker dock is the Pixel Tablet's standout feature. You can use the Pixel Tablet on its own as a traditional Android tablet when you want, and when you're done, you throw it on the dock to transform it into a smart display. The idea of Google selling the Pixel Tablet without its claim to fame is an interesting one.