YouTube tips: How to quickly download any video on your smartphone for free

YouTube tips: Downloading a YouTube video to your smartphone is very easy; here are the steps to follow to save videos offline for free.

YouTube tips: There are ways to download YouTube videos using third party websites and tools. (Pixabay)

YouTube tips: YouTube is one of the most widely used streaming services -- with over two billion logged-in monthly users it is the second most visited website in the world. The video service streams over a billion hours of video to its userbase every day, and over 40 percent of watch time on the platform takes place on mobile, based on recent statistics. YouTube allows users to stream videos from low to high quality, but certain limitations have been imposed. Unless you have YouTube Premium, you cannot download certain videos – these include music videos. But, there are ways to download these videos using third party websites and tools, which we have described below.

Notably, if you use YouTube regularly on your smartphone, you might be used to downloading content on a regular basis. Downloading videos can come in handy when the service isn't available, or when you don't have internet connectivity.

Download YouTube videos using NewPipe

Unlike many of the less reputable YouTube video downloading apps that exist on the internet today, NewPipe is one of the most popular open-source and transparent apps available for users. You don't see any ads, you don't see unwanted recommendations and you don't have to worry about background playback without YouTube Premium. You can download YouTube videos, play them on Kodi, download in 1080p, 2K and 4K as well as use features like subtitles, playlists, queuing and even check your viewing history on the app.

It is worth noting that you cannot download NewPipe from the Google Play Store as it goes against the store's terms -- just like any other YouTube downloading app. However, you can follow the instructions on the project's page or simply install the open-source F-Droid store in order to download the app and keep it up to date. The app is not officially endorsed or allowed by Google, so users must keep that in mind while downloading videos from the service.

Download YouTube videos using Y2Mate Downloader

One of the easier ways to download videos that doesn't require any app installation or software tweaks is through a YouTube download web service like Y2Mate. This website is one of the most straightforward ways to download a video from YouTube as the process is as simple as copying the link to the video you want to download from the YouTube app or wherever you received the link from and pasting it in the search bar in the center of the website.

Doing so will display a list of available video formats for that specific video and you can download the video based on the quality you need. You can choose to download the video as a standalone file, or simply download the audio from the video, in case you want to save space or it is a discussion similar to a podcast. Note that this method also works when using the website on a desktop or laptop computer and you can manually transfer these videos to your phone at a later stage.