YouTube begins rolling out offline video playback to Android devices in three countries

Google announced today that it has started rolling out support for offline video playback in the YouTube Android app for three countries: India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The company says that the goal is to help work around limited access to high-speed internet connections.

The new mode will allow many videos to be cached directly on the phone for up to 48 hours in order to be played back later. Users will have the option of selecting what resolution they’d like to cache to make the process as efficient as possible.

From Google’s announcement:

Today we’re releasing a new offline feature within the YouTube app, in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. This feature lets you take videos offline to watch later during short periods of low or no internet connectivity. For videos where this feature is available, you can choose to add the video for offline viewing by tapping on the offline icon. Once taken offline, videos can be played back without an Internet connection for up to 48 hours, so you can enjoy YouTube videos without worrying about slow connections.

Support for offline video mode was first hinted at back in September, though the exact details weren’t revealed at the time. There’s currently no word on when (or if) the feature will roll out to other nations.

The YouTube Android app was also recently updated with a brand-new Material Design interface and search filters for finding exactly what you’re looking for as quickly as possible.

Google has placed a big focus on India in recent months, with announcements like the availability of Chromecast streaming device and the ability to make free voice calls from India to the United States or Canada through the web. The company also recently launched three low-cost Android One handsets in the region.