GoKawiilYouTube has introduced many user-friendly features over the years — whether it's the "Jump Ahead" button that quickly skips sponsored segments, or the mobile update to timestamped comments, which flashes them to the top of the pile when the relevant point in the video plays. However, like many of its fellow video-sharing platforms, YouTube does not allow users to fully download videos, leaving only one legal option to do so. And while the rollout of YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) arrived with the promise of a download feature, that option comes with a big catch.
Downloadable videos have long been a feature of YouTube Premium, though they were previously locked to the mobile version. Luckily, following YouTube testing video downloads on computers in 2020, the feature is now available across different YouTube platforms. On the less fortunate side of things, those looking to use this feature to download videos for creative use, such as to edit into a different video (as is standard practice for commentary and reaction channels), will be disappointed, as videos downloaded in this way can only be used in-application.