YouTube Go with offline downloads and sharing features is now live in India for Android users

It has been a while now since **Google** **announced** YouTube Go. For the uninitiated, YouTube Go is designed to be an “offline first” app, which allows users to download YouTube videos while also keeping a track of how much data is consumed. [caption id=“attachment_4231347” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The YouTube Go app logo. Image: YouTube[/caption] Following its announcement back in September 2016, the YouTube Go app was launched in the Google Play Store **in Beta** earlier this year. The lightweight version of the original app lets you preview the size of the video file before you hit play, it lets you save these videos for offline viewing (something similar to YouTube Offline feature). The stable release of the app is not very different from the Beta version launched in April. The app allows the downloaded videos to be shared via Bluetooth to another YouTube Go user within the Bluetooth range. Before downloading or viewing, YouTube Go videos gives users a preview, which is basically a gif of thumbnails from different time stamps of the video. This provides a basic idea of what the video is about before playing it. While it might take a while for users of the regular **YouTube** app to get adjusted to the minimal interface on the Go app, it does feel like an ideal solution to download videos while on constrained data speeds and limits. [caption id=“attachment_4231345” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The interface on the YouTube Go is relatable but misses on a number of features.[/caption] In terms of shortcuts, animations and usability, a major change on the YouTube Go app is the inability to browse videos based on a particular channel. Double tapping towards the right to fast forward and left to rewind while watching a video is also absent. YouTube Go, however, gives users location-specific suggestions also taking into account what other people in the location are viewing. The home screen features trending and popular videos in the area.