Lightweight YouTube Go app, planned for release last year, is now available

YouTube faces off against Facebook Lite with lightweight YouTube Go

By Lulu Chang Published February 9, 2017

Facebook has already proven that lightweight versions of popular apps can be a hit in developing markets — just ask its now 200 million monthly users in those markets. And now, YouTube is hoping to take a page out of that book with the inconspicuous launch of YouTube Go. On Wednesday, a version of the app appeared on the Google Play Store. It weighs in at less than 10MB, and comes with the option of sharing files using Wi-Fi Direct protocol.

The stripped down version of the app was first announced at an event in India just a few months ago. Promising to be a “faster, and lighter” version of its behemoth video service, it’s meant to help you save data while watching footage of cats chasing vacuums (or whatever else floats your boat).

Recommended Videos

The app also allows for offline viewing, and will be particularly useful for those in areas where data connectivity isn’t always the strongest. With YouTube Go, users can choose whether they want to play a video in basic or standard quality, and whether they want to play it now or save it for offline viewing later.

We should note that not every YouTube video is eligible for saving (these preferences are set by channel owners), but if the option is available, it certainly can be a boon to viewers. A popup in the app will also tell users how much empty space is left on their device or SD card.

All saved videos are sent to the Saved tab of the YouTube Go app — once footage is stored here, you can share it with others via Wi-Fi Direct, which allows devices to connect with one another without Wi-Fi access. While the original YouTube app already allowed for offline viewing, the lightweight app differs in allowing users to choose their resolution, helping them to further save data.

The app, geared towards the Indian market, supports a number of Indian local languages, including Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, and Tamil.

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Topics

Phones

Google Chrome is working on new feature which lets you open PDF files in your preferred app

Chrome might finally mind its own business after you download a file

Google Chrome

Google is testing a small but useful change to Chrome for Android that could make downloading files less frustrating. Instead of automatically opening files such as PDFs in Chrome, the browser could soon send them directly to the app you have chosen to handle that file type.

The feature is currently being tested through a Chrome Canary flag called “Open downloads in preferred app.” According to PiunikaWeb, the flag allows downloaded items to open in the user's preferred application for that particular file type.

Phones

The $1,500 flagship might be closer than you think

Flip phones already broke the $1,500 mark this year, and slab flagships aren't far behind.

iPhone 17 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro.

In July, a Google executive broke the silence on the ongoing memory crisis, highlighting a more than fourfold increase in RAM prices between 2025 and 2026, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. The prices have gone up from $2.80 in 2025 to roughly $12 in 2026, as mentioned in the same report. Run the math for a 16GB memory package, and the cost to the company has apparently gone up from $45 to $192.

That's not a rounding error; it's the floor moving under the entire industry's feet. Google is not alone in speaking about the ongoing memory crisis. We've also seen Nothing's CEO speak about it, and other brands like Motorola, OnePlus, and Xiaomi make price adjustments across their lineup.

Phones

I’ve used the Pixel 10 Pro a year. I hope Google fixes these nagging issues on the Pixel 11 Pro

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

I’ve been using the Google Pixel 10 Pro for almost a year now, which means I’ve had plenty of time to figure out what I love about it and, more importantly, what still gets on my nerves. And with the Pixel 11 Pro launching on August 12, just three days from now, my wishlist for Google has gotten pretty long. There’s a lot the Pixel already gets right. The software is still one of my favorite Android experiences, performance is generally solid, and Google’s Gemini features have become genuinely useful in ways I didn’t expect. Those are all big reasons I’ve stuck with Pixel phones for as long as I have.

But spend enough time with any phone and the little annoyances stop feeling so little. Over the past year, I’ve run into a handful of recurring Pixel problems that I really don’t want to carry over to another generation. Some have frustrated me for months, while others have made me question whether I can completely rely on my Pixel when I need it most. So, with the Pixel 11 Pro almost here, I have a few things I desperately want Google to get right this time.