How to use the YouTube mobile app's new data

Small tweaks sure can make big differences.

The YouTube mobile app, on both iOS and Android, now makes it the tiniest bit easier — at least for some users — to keep a handle on their data use. So reports 9to5Google, which highlights a new setting buried within the YouTube app that gives people additional controls over video streaming quality.

And video quality, of course, translates to data use.

For those doing the majority of their YouTube streaming not connected to WiFi, there's a decent chance that being able to finely tune how video files are streamed might affect their monthly cellphone bill.

Before we go on, you should note that not everyone has the new features as of this writing on April 25. The new settings are in the active process of rolling out to Android and iOS users, according to YouTube, so you should see them appear in your app menu soon.

So here's the deal: Buried in Settings, there's an option to adjust "Video quality preference."

"Select your default streaming quality for all videos," 9to5 Google shows the app explaining in a screenshot. "You can change streaming quality in player options for single videos."

This, by itself, isn't new. The new part is what comes next.

YouTube mobile app users can now select, when connected to a mobile network or WiFi, whether they want videos to stream with "Higher picture quality" or "Lower picture quality."

The latter, perhaps unsurprisingly, is labeled "Data saver" while the former says it "Uses more data."

Notably, the settings don't have to be the same for WiFi or mobile networks. The YouTube mobile app can be set to play higher quality videos over WiFi, but use data saver when connected to a cell network.

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We've also clarified a few of the details on how the new settings will work, and they extend to quality settings in general on YouTube. Users can expect a "Quick Menu" that offers easy access to quality settings. You'll have the option of selection "Auto," "Higher Quality," or "Data Saver" here. An "Advanced Menu," accessible from the Quick Menu, lets you specify the resolution — basically, what you can do on YouTube now.

The account-level stuff, where you can make changes to persistent settings that apply whenever you're signed into YouTube, is where the preferences described above come into play. It's here that you can tell the app what your streaming preferences are. So, assuming you're lucky enough to have them, adjust those settings up or down, sit back, and relax knowing that you're either saving data or blowing through bandwidth for that highest of quality content.

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