Since September, Google promised the idea of YouTube offline viewing would come to fruition, though it would make its initial mark in emerging markets. It looks like El Goog kept its promise, as the functionality is now available in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
When watching videos, a download prompt will appear above the Subscribe button. From there, you can choose to download the videos in either standard definition or high definition (in this case HD is720p). File sizes are shown to make sure you have adequate space for your videos. After your video finishes downloading, it can be found in the Offline section of the YouTube app.
There are several catches, however, the main one being you have 48 hours to watch your downloaded videos before they disappear. In addition, not every video is available for offline viewing, as licensed content can’t be downloaded. Finally, as mentioned previously, this feature is only available in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
In its blog post, Google explained that it chose these regions first because of the importance of mobile Internet in these locations. “Asia has proven itself to be a mobile-first world in terms of smartphone adoption, but access to high-speed, affordable data remains a big challenge,” wrote Google. “In response, we’ve been working on ways to lessen the demands of speed and data for people using our products in places where there are challenges to access.”
There’s no word on when YouTube offline viewing will make its way to the West, though Google did update the app to adopt its Material Design guidelines.
