Google announces YouTube Go in Kenya – for offline viewing & sharing

Google announces YouTube Go in Kenya – for offline viewing & sharing

Google has announced the testing of YouTube Go in Kenya, an app designed for areas with poor internet connectivity.

YouTube Go is designed to be offline first, allowing users to download videos and control how much data is used. The app also allows sharing of videos with users nearby without using any data.

“YouTube Go is now testing in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana and Senegal. All your favourite videos ready to be enjoyed. Download for later, manage your data usage and share with friends nearby.” Google Africa announced on its twitter handle.

Kenyan users can sign up now to test YouTube Go, but there’s no word on when the app will formally launch in the country and the other five African markets.

About 89.4% (43.3M) of Kenya’s population is connected to the internet according to the most recent quarterly report by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). 99% of the users access the internet via mobile phones.

While the country has one of the highest penetration rates in Africa, the cost of data is expensive and at times the Internet is very slow.