In many parts of the world, having access to the Internet on mobile devices isn’t actually cheap. Google is well aware of that, and that’s why it has decided to come up with a solution for Indian mobile users of YouTube.

The company  has started rolling out offline video playback for YouTube mobile users, which is currently available only on mobile devices in India, Indonesia or the Philippines. It could be part of the Android One initiative, as these countries are the main ones targeted in the program.

The YouTube videos that support playback will feature an offline icon which will offer a choice of playback quality and users will now see a download icon which will allow them to store the content in standard or high definition.

Users will also be able to choose whether they want to download in HD or in normal quality the videos that they have chosen. Of course, to download the files, you will still need a WiFi or cellular connection, and I’m sure most of the users will opt for the former one.

Users will be able to download all the content that is available on YouTube, and it will then become accessible in the Offline section of the YouTube app. Ysers will be able to play videos without an Internet connection for up to 48 hours, as the video will be deleted after that.

Jay Akkad, Product Manager at YouTube, said the following recently:

Asia has proven itself to be a mobile-first world in terms of smartphone adoption, but access to high-speed, affordable data remains a big challenge. In response, we’ve been working on ways to lessen the demands of speed and data for people using our products in places where there are challenges to access

YouTube’s vice president of engineering, John Harding, also says that around 40 per cent of YouTube’s traffic in India comes from mobile devices. If you live in India, live your comment below and let us know how will this affect you. I, for one, believe that this is a step taken forward for those users who don’t experience the Internet as much as they would want to.

READ ALSO: