At this year’s Google I/O 2017, Google announced a lightweight version of its Youtube App that should allow allow offline Youtube Video downloads. A good use case would be downloading your favorite Youtube videos on fast public WiFi and then watching them at home. The app also enables sharing of downloaded Youtube videos with nearby friends without needing an internet connection. We assume it would work similar to how file-sharing apps like Xender work — WiFi Direct/Bluetooth connections.
Previously Google offered Youtube offline in its officially app only through select countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, India, Ghana etc cutting off a big percentage of the developing world that need the service.
The Youtube Go app is on the Google play store although currently only officially available in India. So I had to use third-party stores, AppMirror to download the App to my phone as an APK and manually install. The app is only about 8MB in size, which is really small.
When you want to download video offline, the app will show you download sizes in Basic quality(which is smaller) and standard quality. However, when I tried to download sample videos for offline viewership, I got this “The owner of this video does not allow it to be saved or shared” warning. Apparently this could be due to copyright restrictions that content owners have set for their videos. When I logged in to Dignited channel to lift off any restrictions, I couldn’t find the option that enables publisher to ban their content from being downloaded offline. So it seems its an issue that Google has to rectify with the app.
It seems users have to wait till the app leaves beta stage, perhaps by then Google would have rectified the Download issue. Until then you have to use a number of Youtube downloaders.
About David Okwii
David Okwii is the Editor-in-Chief of Dignited.com and a seasoned tech enthusiast whose journey began in the early 2000s. He started blogging while at university, diving deep into mobile apps, smartphone reviews, and operating systems—from testing Linux distros to tweaking Windows machines. David also explores Chromebooks, experiments with Raspberry Pi projects, and brings hands-on curiosity to every review. With vast experience in Uganda’s tech ecosystem and deep knowledge of Africa’s startup landscape, he offers informed, grounded perspectives on consumer technology. When he's not writing or tinkering, David enjoys connecting with nature and exploring the outdoors.
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