Downloading YouTube videos is a native feature available to users of the service's paid plans. The function allows you to watch these contents without spending data or needing to be connected to the internet. Those who don't subscribe to YouTube Premium, however, have alternatives.
The lighter version of the platform, YouTube Go, gives you the option to change the streaming quality. So, you can save your mobile data. The traditional app also allows you to change the resolution in order to reduce consumption.
How to download videos on YouTube and watch offline
To download YouTube videos natively, you need to be a YouTube Premium subscriber. Films are available in the Library for 48 hours after downloading and can be viewed even without internet access.
To keep them on your device after this period, you must connect to a Wi-Fi or 3G/4G network. The app needs to check possible changes and availability.
1. Open the YouTube app as you normally do and access the video you want to download;
2. Tap on the icon Download, displayed just below the video;
3. Choose the quality you want to download the video at: High (720p), Media (360p) ou Low (144p). Next to each one, the amount of data that the download demands is specified. Confirm your selection in OK;
- To avoid the consumption of mobile data, the ideal is to carry out the process connected to a Wi-Fi network.
4. Wait for the download to complete. Once finished, the icon will turn into a blue arrow;
5. To watch the video offline, go to the tab Library and tap Saved. Downloaded videos will be available in that folder.
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How to watch videos on YouTube Go and save mobile data
To perform the procedure below, it is necessary to download and install the YouTube Go app on your Android smartphone. It is important to remember that the less bandwidth you use to watch a movie, the lower the display quality should be.
The difference in relation to reducing the quality of display in the traditional YouTube app is in the fact of knowing exactly how much data will be consumed by watched video.
1. Open YouTube Go and access the video you want to watch;
2. Before the content starts to run, the following message will appear on the screen: Choose streaming quality. It is possible to choose between:
- Data saving (less data consumption)
- standard quality
- High quality (higher data consumption)
3. Confirm your selection at Watch. Then the video playback will start.
Is it possible to save data in the traditional YouTube app?
Yes, it is possible, but without the precision offered by YouTube Go. To do this, open the video you want to watch and tap on the three dots icon at the top of the screen on the right. In the menu that opens, go to Quality.
The options displayed vary depending on the quality in which the video was recorded or made available on the platform. In general, they range from 144p to 1080p.
It's hard to say how much each film spends. According to the specialized website Whistle Out, YouTube videos have the following estimated consumption per time watched:
| 144p | 240p | 360p | 480p | 720p | 1080p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Data consumption per minute |
1.3MB | 3.3MB | 5MB | 8.3MB | 25MB | 50MB |
|
Data consumption per hour |
80MB | 200MB | 300MB | 500MB | 1.5GB | 3GB |
Also see how to change video quality on Netflix and watch in HD.
How to know how much data YouTube is consuming?
Mobile operating systems often provide users with ways to check the amount of data consumed by each installed app.
On Android, just go to Settings → Network & Internet → App Data Usage. Then, drag the screen to see how much internet has been spent on each app in the last month.
On iOS, follow the path Settings → Mobile or Settings → Mobile Data. Then, just scroll the screen and check how much bandwidth each application is consuming.
Did you like the tip? Also see how to enable YouTube night mode and make the background black. Also: check out how to block a channel and hide unwanted videos.
