YouTube Go App Shutting Down In August, Company Deems It 'Unnecessary'

YouTube Go, the light Android app that was launched a few years back for functioning in low cellular connectivity and low-end smartphones is shutting down.

New Delhi: YouTube Go, the light Android app that was launched a few years back for functioning in low cellular connectivity and low-end smartphones is shutting down, the company has announced. It is being said that the company is pulling the plug on YouTube Go -- which offered free offline videos due to improvements being made in the main YouTube app. YouTube Go will not function after August this year.

"Today, we are announcing that YouTube Go will be sunsetted beginning in August. To access YouTube, we recommend that YouTube Go users install the main YouTube app or visit youtube.com in their browsers. In comparison with YouTube Go, the main YouTube app provides a better overall user experience as well as offers features that aren’t available on YouTube Go that many have asked for - such as the ability to comment, post, create content, and use dark theme," Meaghan from TeamYouTube said in a statement.

Launched in 2016, YouTube Go was a lighter version designed for users in locations where connectivity, data prices and low-end devices were offered.

"Since then, YouTube has invested in improvements to the main YouTube app that make it perform better in these environments, while also delivering a better user experience which is inclusive of our entire community. Specifically, we have improved performance for entry-level devices or those that watch YouTube on slower networks. We’re also building out additional user controls that help to decrease mobile data usage for viewers with limited data," Meaghan added.

When YouTube Go was launched in 2016, its users could download and save YouTube videos for offline viewing at a later point.