YouTube on Android adds "download in night" option to reduce data cost for users

YouTube had launched the offline video feature for mobile phones in 2014 in India. Now Google, which owns both Android and the YouTube, is making the feature smarter. It is adding an option that will let users schedule the download of the YouTube videos at night, when some telecom companies like Airtel and Telenor may offer subsidised data charges.

"Here's how it works: when you tap on the familiar grey arrow  to take a video offline, a prompt will appear, giving you the option to select 'Save overnight' using your mobile operator's discounted night data plan," says Jessica Xu, product manager at YouTube . "When you select it, the YouTube app will smartly schedule your video to be offlined after peak hours that night. When you wake up the next morning, your videos will be ready for you to watch offline and on the go, with no buffering."

Airtel in India also offers 50 per cent saving in data. So for example if you subscribe to the feature and then use 100mb after midnight, the company credits 50mb back after a few hours. Although, many users report that the feature doesn't always work as promised. But if users have this feature enabled on their data connections, the YouTube scheduled downloads will be of great help to them.

nterestingly, and disappointingly for some users who may want to use the free night data offer that wired connections provide, the scheduled YouTube downloads will not work with Wi-Fi. "This feature is gradually rolling out to Airtel and Telenor subscribers today, and we hope to bring it to all users in India eventually. You will need to be connected to your carrier's data network to see this feature (it will not work on Wifi networks), and make sure you've updated your YouTube app to the latest version,"