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YouTube is restricted to 480p in India, Here’s how to watch in full resolution

by Ravi Teja KNTS

Due to Covid-19, many people spending a lot of time online, texting, streaming, browsing, etc. So Google took a move and restricted YouTube to 480p in India and some other Asian countries for both Android and iOS to prevent network choking. This restriction is not just applied to the YouTube app, but also to the web version and even other third-party YouTube clients. But as always, we have our ways to make it possible on Android.

How to watch YouTube in Full Resolution during Covid-19

1. Use Desktop Mode

The easiest way to access YouTube in full-resolution is by using the desktop mode on the smartphone browser. Just open any browser > tap three-dot menu > select the desktop mode option. Now you can navigate to YouTube, play any video, and change the resolution. Another big advantage is that you can also play videos in the background. But as you are accessing the desktop view on a small screen like a phone, it looks a bit clunky and that is not something that we can rely on. Each and every option, thumbnails, text, etc are small and hard to press, making it an uncomfortable experience.

Also Read:- How to watch YouTube together on Android and iOS. 

2. Use NewPipe Application

NewPipe is free, open-source, and lets you watch YouTube in full resolution, but it is not available on the PlayStore. So to download the NewPipe, you need to download an alternative app store called F-droid. It is just like the Play Store that hosts open-source Softwares for Android. Once downloaded, open the app and search for New Pipe and install it.

You can open the app, search for any channel or video, and watch in any resolution you like. You can change the resolution by tapping on the resolution at the top right. You also have most of the options you get on YouTube like changing the playback speed, sharing, commenting, etc. It is also clean and user friendly to rely on.  And it also supports pop-up view and even playing the video in the background.

But there are few downsides too. As it is an open-source project, it concentrates on privacy and security. So that you cannot log-in to the app with your YouTube account. But you can search for the channels and subscribe so that you can get recommendations for your subscribed channels. It also doesn’t support captions, good recommendations, etc. And also the videos take a lot of time to load even with a good internet connection.

Get NewPipe (F-Droid)

3. Use a VPN

The best way to watch YouTube videos in full resolution is by using a VPN, you get all the features of YouTube and your subscriptions and recommendations are not messed up. It works with all VPNs, so you can just set the location to the US or any other country which supports and enjoy YouTube in full resolution.

Using a VPN to watch YouTube in full resolution

Wrapping up

Looking at all these ways, undoubted VPN is the best option to choose, if not you can either download the open-source software NewPipe or you can just continue using YouTube on the desktop view on the browser. So which way, you are going to choose? or are they are any other workarounds? let me know in the comments section.

Also Read:- How to Play YouTube in the background on iOS

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