Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
X

YouTube mobile apps to let you watch videos offline

An upcoming update to YouTube's mobile apps will allow you to download videos to view them even when you have no Internet connection.

lancewhitney.jpg
lancewhitney.jpg
Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

You'll soon be able to catch some of your favorite YouTube videos offline, at least on your mobile device.

In November, YouTube will update its mobile apps so that you can download videos to your smartphone or tablet. The video clips will be available to watch for a short period of time, YouTube said in a blog posted Tuesday.

Just how long is a "short period of time?" You'll have up to 48 hours to watch the video, according to a report from AllThingsD.

YouTube called this new feature "part of our ongoing updates to give people more opportunities to enjoy videos and channels on YouTube mobile." The company promises to explain how the offline capability will work once it launches in November.