YouTube has a new data saving app, but you can't get it in the UK
The UK, US and most of Western Europe will miss out.
The YouTube app has become one of the best time-killers on the market, particularly on the morning commute.
One downside, however, is the copious amounts of data it chews through in the process. If you watch 30 minutes of videos on the train ride home - something that is not hard to do - you will find yourself 500MB poorer.
Google has apparently recognised this problem and has taken steps to mitigate it. Downloading videos to watch later is a viable option, but not every video is available. You also need to be prepared for the videos you want to watch, hard considering YouTube is mostly built on clicking next suggestions.
Enter YouTube Go, the new app that promises to consume far less data. Users are asked how much data they want to use when watching a video. Once selected, Google can run the video in a different resolution that matches the maximum internet usage.
YouTube Go is designed for developing countries who are still limited by poor Internet coverage. Google announced recently that YouTube Go would become available to 130 countries including nations in Africa, South America and Asia.
The United Kingdom - along with most developed countries such as the United States, Australia and most of Western Europe - will, at this stage, not be getting the app.
YouTube Go will also let users watch previews before committing to a whole video. It was announced in 2016 and a beta version was release last year. Google launched YouTube Go in India.
The data saving app will be released on older versions of Android (all the way back to 4.1 Jellybean) to help dating devices run smoother.
