what you need to know
- YouTube Music for the Web is reportedly testing offline download capabilities.
- The feature works the same as the YouTube Music app.
- While some users can see the new interface, the feature remains disabled.
YouTube Music for the Web may soon implement one of its most popular features – the ability to download offline.
While the YouTube Music app for iOS and Android devices already supports offline downloads like most other music streaming services, the web version is long overdue. Unlike Spotify and Amazon Music, it doesn’t have a native app for the desktop.
However, new findings from 9to5Google suggest YouTube may be testing the feature for some people. 9to5 noted that turning off the internet and opening the YouTube Music website in Google Chrome on the desktop will reveal a new Downloads tab.
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The new tab is located between the Library and Uploads sections of the web version of YouTube Music. In addition to this, there is a new text that describes, “The music and podcasts you download will appear here.” The page also offers a Download Settings option that helps users clear all offline downloads if needed.
The interface and process will likely be very similar to what we see on the regular YouTube web version, as it also allows users to download content offline.
9to5 said that the preliminary positioning of the yet-to-be-announced feature still needs to be determined, and some Reddit users were also able to find the aforementioned offline YouTube Music site; however, some said that despite being able to see the option, the download function still needs to work properly – 9to5 So did the survey results. This means that the intended feature is still in development and may be a bug or part of YouTube A/B testing.
If you’re a YouTube Music user, this will be a welcome addition whenever it launches. People can separate offline download collections to display different content on mobile and desktop.
Finally, as 9to5 points out, regardless of what feature is rolled out, users should subscribe to YouTube Music Premium to take advantage of the offline download feature when YouTube Music launches.