YouTube Restricts Video Streaming Quality to 480p

If you are sensitive to watch videos in high pixels, it can be pretty annoying to always have to change the quality settings on YouTube to get the crispy HD video. This is especially true on smartphones, where video streams are often set to 480p by default. YouTube has reduced its default video quality to standard definition (SD) on mobile networks last week due to increasing concerns about the Internet bandwidth. 

Since the global shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic forced everyone to stay indoors, YouTube’s streaming quality has been minimal. There has been a huge increase in Internet use with people at home almost worldwide, creating questions about networks slowing down due to the lack of bandwidth. Good news is that YouTube may soon let you set the mobile app’s default quality level. 

Although YouTube still allows you to play videos at higher resolution, the quality of each video has to be changed manually; requiring users to switch to higher picture quality would seem to go against the new initiative. 

Many video streaming apps, in addition to YouTube, have also taken steps to reduce network tension. Streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others now either default or lock their services to standard quality (SD) specification.