Videoder: YouTube video download app hits 40m installs despite new Premium service allowing users to watch offline

The free Videoder app also lets users download music and videos from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Anthony Cuthbertson

Tuesday 24 July 2018 15:33 BST

YouTube video download app Videoder lets people access content offline for free, but it goes against YouTube's rules and violates copyright laws (REUTERS)

A free app that lets people download videos from YouTube and other platforms has soared in popularity, despite Google's attempts to crack down on services that flout copyright laws.

India-based Videoder claims on its website that its app has over 40 million users and supports 1,000 different platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, allowing people to download videos and music to watch offline.

This is something that YouTube allows its users to do through YouTube Premium – formerly YouTube Red – but only paying customers are able to do it through its suite of official apps.

Interest in Videoder has surged in recent months, with Google Trends revealing that more people are interested in the India-based company than bitcoin.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

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1/1111 YouTube features you didn't know existed

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Play in the background

One of the YouTube app’s most frustrating shortcomings is the inability to play music videos in the background or when you’re phone’s locked. There is a way around this, but only on iOS. Open the YouTube website in Safari, play a video and then press your iPhone’s home button. After that, launch the Control Centre by sliding up from the bottom of the screen and tap play.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Loop videos

YouTube’s looping option on desktop is really useful, but nowhere near as easy to find as it should be. To loop a video, right-click it while it’s playing and select Loop. Even if you have Autoplay enabled, your video will replay itself as soon as it finishes.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Enable Dark Theme

YouTube recently introduced a black-and-red Dark Theme on the desktop, which is much easier on your eyes than the regular version of the site. Enable it by clicking the account symbol, selecting Dark Theme and turning Activate Dark Theme on.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Simplify YouTube

Another alternative YouTube user interface is available to access at youtube.com/tv. It’s a really simple, no-frills UI that’s incredibly easy to navigate.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Try out new features

You can test upcoming and experimental features early by signing up to YouTube TestTube.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Read

When you want to watch a YouTube video but don’t have your headphones and don’t want to disturb anyone around you, turn on Captions. They’re also really handy if you’re trying to watch a video in a foreign language. Transcriptions, meanwhile, break down exactly when certain things take place, so you can skip to the part you want to watch accurately and easily. In the More tab under the video title, launch the dropdown menu and select Transcript.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Use shortcuts

You can lean back in your seat and control YouTube videos with your keyboard if you want to. J and L let you rewind and fast-forward 10 seconds, K is pause/play, M is mute/unmute and the 0-9 keys let you jump through various stages of the video, from 0 per cent to 90 per cent. On the app, you can fast forward or rewind 10 seconds by double-tapping the right or left side of a video.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Limit data use

If you’re on a limited mobile data plan, there are easy ways to save yourself some money. In Settings on the YouTube app, hit General and enable Limit Mobile Data Usage and disable Autoplay.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Keep things private

Unless you make them private, other people can see your Liked videos, your saved playlists and subscriptions. If you want to hide them, go to Settings and Privacy. You can also clear or pause your History. On either desktop or the mobile app, go to History and select Clear All Watch History or Pause Watch History.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Make sharing clearer

Sometimes you want to share a video with a friend, but want them to watch a specific part, rather than the whole thing. Instead of sending the timestamp through as a separate message, make the video automatically play from the right place. Just pause it at the right moment, click the Share button, tick the Start At box and copy the URL.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed

Get nerdy

Stats for Nerds shows you technical data for YouTube videos, including video format, audio format and bandwidth. On desktop, you can find the info simply by right-clicking the video player and selecting Stats for Nerds. On mobile, you have to enable it first in General Settings. Once that’s done, open a video, hit the menu button in the top-right corner and tap the Stats for Nerds option.

YouTube did not respond to a request for comment about Videoder's popularity, however the Google-owned platform's terms of service make it clear that using third-party apps to download content is not allowed.

"You agree not to access content for any reason other than your personal, non-commercial use... and solely for streaming," the terms of service state. "Streaming means a contemporaneous digital transmission of the material by YouTube via the Internet to a user operated Internet enabled device in such a manner that the data is intended for real-time viewing and not intended to be downloaded (either permanently or temporarily), copied, stored, or redistributed by the user."

For its part, Videoder acknowledges that the service it offers may not be above board, stating on its website: "Videoder is not available on google playstore because of certain google terms and conditions which prohibits Youtube downloading apps for copyright concern [sic]."

Despite not being available through the Google Play Store, the app is readily available on Android and Windows through the Videoder website. It is currently not available for iOS or Windows Phone, however Videoder says iPhone and Windows device owners will soon be able to download YouTube videos directly through the Videoder site.

The Videoder app – available on Mac, Windows and Android – offers a far broader functionality beyond simply downloading videos and music from YouTube and other content providers, such as removing ads from video streams and providing lists of trending videos.

"You can always know what's trending when you are on Videoder," the firm states on its site. "The app has an amazing feed section which always helps you to stay in touch with the trend and discover new music, videos and artists."

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