Streaming videos online is a data-guzzling exercise and Youtube, perhaps the go-to streaming service for most people has now launched a version of the app that is sure to be kind on your data in this tough economic times.
The group announced on Thursday that it has launched YouTube Go in South Africa, which will give users much-easier access to videos, which should prove very handy while we're waiting for data to fall.
"People in South Africa love YouTube, but the current app is too data-heavy for it to be usable to most viewers, who don't have high speed and large capacity data plans, or free Wi-Fi," Google Africa chief marketing officer, Mzamo Masito said.
"Now, the app is much lighter and nimbler, and you won't have to wait for videos to load or buffer forever."
What is YouTube Go? YouTube Go is the lighter version of the app, which mainly caters for users who are miserly with their data, as well as those with a slow internet connection.
The new version has been designed to allow users to be able to view their favourite videos even when there is no internet connection.
"YouTube Go provides transparency in how users are using their data, allowing them to reduce their data consumption. It also provides a social experience, connecting users with the people and content they care about."
What's new? Various new functions in the new-look app include a "preview video" option which allows you to decide whether you're keen on watching a particular video.
You can also save videos to view them offline, as well as choose which resolution best suits you – and of course your data balance.
Another new feature available on YouTube Go is one that allows you to wirelessly transfer videos to nearby devices, without using any data.
When is it available? YouTube Go is already available and… erm, good to go. You can download it from the Google Play store. It will also come pre-installed on all Android 8.1.
