Google today announced YouTube users in India will now be able to download videos and watch them offline anywhere, any time, even when they don’t have access to data connectivity.
YouTube executive Ceasar Sengupta made the announcement at the Android One launch event in Gurgaon where Google launched its first batch of ultra-affordable Android One handsets including the Micromax Canvas A1, the Karbonn Sparkle V and the Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi-498, all priced between £60 and £70.
Announcing the YouTube offline feature, Sengupta said the video streaming service YouTube is quite popular in India. He said with YouTube offline users will be able to watch videos again and again without having to pay for data anywhere at any time even without a data connection.
He said YouTube will be available offline in India in the coming few weeks. The feature will allow users to download a video once, save it to their phone, and watch it again and again, Sengupta said during the event.
It isn’t clear whether the offline YouTube will be offered as a subscription-based model, but it’s likely that the offline service will not be restricted to music videos only. This means users will be able to save almost any video on the streaming service to their smart phones, tablets or computers. There’s no word on advertising model for offline videos yet.
YouTube is also reportedly working on music subscription service dubbed YouTube Music Key that will offer people with offline audio and video playback, as well as ad-free audio playback for around $9.99 (€7.72) per month.
