YouTube Go beta offers data-savvy streaming in India
The app uses clever compression to help millions of users save precious data.
Google has today begun beta-testing its India-specific YouTube Go app. YouTube Go is primarily designed to help save users data, aiming to help keep down mobile bills while recommending videos that are tailored for Indian audiences. While India's online infrastructure is steadily growing thanks to initiatives like Google Station, many across the region are still left either relying purely on public WiFi or spotty 2G connections.
Recognizing this, YouTube Go combines clever video compression tech to give even those with the worst connections fairly solid and reliable streaming. Like with the western mobile app, Go allows viewers to download videos in different qualities in order to reduce users' bandwidth, even showing users the data demands of streaming each video. Following in the footsteps of Google Maps offline, YouTube Go has also been designed to function without an internet connection, allowing users to save videos that infinitely improve their commute and even share their favourite clips over Bluetooth.
While a launch date for the full app has yet to be announced, you can download YouTube Go's beta app from the Indian Google Play Store now. The tech company will also be holding events in Udaipur "over the coming weeks" to glean info on how users have been interacting with the app. The timing couldn't have been better, as now Indian viewers can rest comfortably knowing that wherever they are - they'll be able to catch Coachella.
