YouTube will introduce offline viewing on its mobile apps from this November. In a post on the Creators blog, it explains that users will be able ‘to add videos to their device to watch for a short period when an Internet connection is unavailable.’
Offline viewing on mobile apps is becoming more widespread. With tightening data plans, often people are only comfortable streaming video when connected to wifi, so offering limited time downloads makes sense. The UK’s BBC has a clear policy on downloaded videos from it’s iPlayer – you can keep them for 30 days, or seven after the first viewing.
So far we don’t know what YouTube means by ‘a short period’, and when it says ‘when the internet is not available’, does that mean if a 3g or 4G internet connection is available you have to use it?
The suggestion in the post is that users will be able to watch YouTube on their morning commute without interruption, as your connection may be patchy, but it’s not clear if we are talking about something as concrete as the BBC offline policy.
We have reached out to YouTube for comment.
Read more about YouTube:
- YouTube for iOS update brings multitasking, playlist search
- YouTube 5.0 for Android brings card UI, lets you watch while browsing
- YouTube adds playing icon, helps you track down currently playing video
- Nokia releases YouTube Upload app for Windows Phone 8
[Source: The YouTube Creators Blog]
