YouTube Go will be discontinued in August: here’s what you need to know

YouTube Go is going to shut down in August. The move was officially confirmed via a post on Google’s support page. The search giant recommended YouTube Go users to switch to the main YouTube app. They can also use the web browser to directly access the website. The YouTube Go app was launched in 2016 for users with low-end hardware or poor data connections. It also lacks several key features in the Go version, such as “the ability to comment, post, create content, and use the dark theme.”

According to the post shared by Google, the main YouTube has been optimized over the years to deliver improved performance on entry-level smartphones and slow network connections. The company also promised future updates to reduce data usage for users who only have access to limited data. All these improvements and updates planned for the main app have made the YouTube Go app redundant. Moreover, there have been great improvements in the capabilities of low-end smartphones since 2016 when this app was initially launched. As a reminder, the app was designed specifically for India from the ground up, but has also been made available in other developing markets.

The YouTube Go app currently has over 500 million installs on the Google Play Store. Notably, the app hadn’t received a new update since October 2021, which could indicate that this app had been dormant for some time.

Google is constantly releasing updates and adding new features to the YouTube app. It recently widely released Super Thanks, which allows users to tip content creators while watching their videos. This feature allows content creators to reduce their reliance on ads. Additionally, a recent report suggested that YouTube would be getting a dedicated podcast homepage. This supposed update could also bring audio-only ads to the platform.

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