YouTube Go App Retired

YouTube has announced it will be retiring its YouTube Go app in August.

The app was launched in 2016, “for viewers in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices”.

It offered a stripped down version of the main app, with its main feature the ability to download and save videos for later viewing when an internet connection isn’t available.

The march of technology has made YouTube Go rather redundant.

“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,” the company explained in a blog post.

“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.”

Of course, if you do want to continue to download videos for offline use, this is still available in the Premium version – no doubt part of the thinking behind retiring Go and funnelling these users into paid subscribers.