YouTube Smart Offline will let users in India save money with overnight video downloads

Google’s YouTube seems to have done enough to help those who do not have access to a steady data connection by letting them download and view the same videos offline. While these videos can now be viewed buffer-free, without a connection on a mobile device, Google’s team has introduced another feature that takes offline downloads a step further. Smart Offline feature announced officially via the Google Blog, presents a smarter offline download tool for the YouTube app. The tool will let users schedule downloads (via a data connection) at a particular time so that they can save on data expenses. This feature could be really handy for users in India, considering many  carriers offer discounted data rates during non-peak hours during late-evenings and nights. “In India, many carriers offer discounted data and promotions to subscribers during non peak hours. Smart Offline allows users to queue up videos until the cheaper data pricing comes into effect without having to stay up to initiate the download manually,” points out 9To5Google. The Smart Offline feature seems to be the perfect fit for those on a network (like Airtel and Telenor) that offers cheaper data rates at night.  Users on the network will simply need to tap on the download button (indicated by a downward arrow) and select ‘Save Overnight’ after the prompt. While the user sleeps, the video will automatically get downloaded overnight and be ready for viewing later. While this may sound like an awesome feature to have, there is a catch (or rather a few of them). YouTube’s Smart Offline feature only works with videos downloaded or viewed over cellular networks. The option becomes available upon detection of a particular operators, like Airtel and Telenor and for now does not work on any other. Google is working with operators to help make the feature available for more users on other networks in India as well.