Earlier this year, the search giant announced that it will retire the Lite mode in Chrome, saying that “In recent years we’ve seen a decrease in cost for mobile data in many countries, and we’ve shipped many improvements to Chrome to further minimize data usage and improve web page loading.”
Now Google is preparing to pull the plug on another “lightweight” app – YouTube Go. “Today, we are announcing that YouTube Go will be sunsetted beginning in August,” reads part of the official announcement on Google’s support pages.
Again, the reasoning behind the retirement of this app lies in the fact that entry-level devices have become so powerful that they can run the main YouTube app well enough, and connectivity and data prices are not a critical issue anymore.
When we launched YouTube Go in 2016, it was designed for viewers in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices prevented us from delivering the best experience in the main YouTube app.
Google says that it’s working on additional user controls that help to decrease mobile data usage for viewers with limited data, so any fringe cases can be addressed. YouTube Go lacks several features compared to the main app, including the ability to comment, post, create content, and use dark themes.
There are, however, some question marks around the transition to the main YouTube app. Some users have raised concerns about functionalities that are not present on the current free version of YouTube, the ability to download videos and watch them later, and also the option to disable YouTube shorts in your feed.
Tell us what you think. Have you ever used YouTube Go, and if so – what will you miss about it when it’s gone?
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