YouTube Go Shutting Down in August 2022. Here is Why?

YouTube Go has finally been Retired by Google

YouTube Go – A lightweight version of the YouTube mobile Application shut down by Google in August 2022.

YouTube Go was a part of the Android Go program. It was the lite version of Android OS meant for users with 2GB or less RAM and low-end devices.

Android Go was introduced in 2016 and was released a year later in December 2017. It started with Android version 8.1 codename Oreo. Currently, Android Go comes with Android 12 support. But YouTube Go has launched a year ahead of 2017.

Why is YouTube Go going away?

Android Go users were limited to using Features on the YouTube Go version. Since 2017 YouTube has considerably done so many improvements over the years to the full version YouTube. Thus, YouTube Go isn’t needed anymore and makes the app redundant.

Android Go will now support the full version of YouTube. The YouTube Go version would shut down for good.

YouTube Go users can afterward enjoy fully-featured YouTube. YouTube comes with YouTube Comments, Dark Mode, New UI Redesign, YouTube Transcript, etc. YouTube Go was limited to only View and comment Videos, nothing more than that.

Android Go users with the full version of YouTube would get better playback performance, new features, dark mode, transcript, song used in YouTube video name in the description, YouTube Shorts shelf, control over YouTube videos notification, overall better user experience, etc.

Here is what YouTube Team has to say to Go users:

YouTube Go is going away in August of this year
Hi everyone,
Today, we are announcing that YouTube Go will be sunsetted beginning in August. To access YouTube, we recommend that YouTube Go users install the main YouTube app or visit youtube.com in their browsers. In comparison with YouTube Go, the main YouTube app provides a better overall user experience as well as offers features that aren’t available on YouTube Go that many have asked for – such as the ability to comment, post, create content, and use dark theme. When we launched YouTube Go in 2016, it was designed for viewers in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices prevented us from delivering the best experience in the main YouTube app. Since then, YouTube has invested in improvements to the main YouTube app that make it perform better in these environments, while also delivering a better user experience which is inclusive of our entire community. Specifically, we have improved performance for entry-level devices or those that watch YouTube on slower networks. We’re also building out additional user controls that help to decrease mobile data usage for viewers with limited data – so stay tuned for more updates! Using the main YouTube app, YouTube Go users will be able to participate in creation and community and have access to an overall improved user experience. Thank you to our YouTube Go users – we are excited to welcome you into the main YouTube app community!
– Meaghan, TeamYouTube

https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/162222567?hl=en

What to do when YouTube Go shuts down?

If you are currently using YouTube Go on your device, you can get the full version from Google Play Store, or you could also get it from the APKMirror website.

There is no other option to use YouTube once YouTube Go shuts down. However, if you don’t want to download Youtube Application, you can use YouTube in your Android Browser. You can prefer any browser for streaming YouTube.

Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Kiwi, Opera, and Brave are some of the best Browsers you could try.

Here are the best Android Browsers with Chrome Extensions Support.