YouTube, the Google-owned, video-sharing platform is finally bringing back the HD option in mobile phones in India. However, there is a catch.
When the Coronavirus outbreak started, YouTube, along with other streaming services such as Netflix were forced to cap the Resolution limit to 480p. This happened to allocate more Bandwidth to important things. This move was accepted during that time, and we adapted to this change. Desktop and tablet users, however, had no changes for them.
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After a few months, almost every other service was back providing HD options except YouTube. This caused a lot of people complaining to them on their Twitter. Countries such as Europe and the USA already have all the other options open. Due to this, people are using VPN services and various other methods to get the HD option.
But now, it seems that YouTube had brought some changes. They have brought back HD quality, but it has a catch. It will only be available when you are connected to Wi-Fi. If you switch to mobile data, you will fall back to 480p with no other higher option remaining. Considering that a majority of the population uses 4G LTE for their internet requirements, this move doesn’t change a lot for people.
Left , YouTube on 4G gives only 480p. Right, YouTube providing an HD option when connected to WiFi
Obviously, plenty of people are disheartened, as YouTube is a common source of entertainment. No one was able to see high-quality videos on their smartphones. Some which supported till 4K streaming.
Though this step is in the right direction, YouTube is yet far from making a major impact.