While streaming videos is great there’s one aspect of it that can be not so great. It requires a constant data connection. This isn’t a huge issue for the most part these days as most people have data plans for their smartphones and they’re connected most of the time, but once in a while you might come up on an area where you lose connection to the network or where it’s too slow to simply stream at the desired quality, or without interruptions. In these cases it would be beneficial to just download the videos you wanted to stream. This is where an app like KeepVid Android would come in handy as it allows you to download videos from YouTube directly to your phone so you can watch them while offline. More than that though, it lets you download videos from other sources too, like Vimeo, Tumblr, Funny or Die, Facebook, and even Instagram. How does it stack up though and is it a simple way to get the videos that you wanted? Let’s take a closer look.
Before you can go about downloading all of the videos you want to watch later on, you’ll need to head to the KeepVid Android website and download the app. This isn’t an app which is available in the Play Store so you need to grab the APK straight from the site. Once that’s done and you have the app installed you can jump into using it.
As soon as you open up the app it dumps you right onto the home screen, but it does so with a mask over the display with a couple of helpful tips that point out what a couple of the buttons do. This makes it easy to know how to access the main functions. When you open the app you’re right on the home screen so you have access to all of the different video sources at your fingertips. KeepVid Android doesn’t just let you download videos though as you can use it to download music too which can be grabbed from places like SoundCloud.
While some sources like YouTube and Vimeo will let you access the main websites and start downloading videos right away, other sources like Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr will require you to sign into your accounts first.
If you’re not sure where you want to search for videos but you do know what types of videos it is that you’re looking for, you can easily cast a wide net by tapping on the search button and just typing in a search query to look for what is you want. This will bring up a variety of videos that fall under your criteria and bring them in from whatever sources has them.
Of course, another way you can quickly download the videos is by knowing the exact URL of the video, and to enter this and start the download you just need to press the floating action button at the bottom of the screen to add the link.
If you tap the overflow menu you can find the settings, and inside the settings menu you can adjust all kinds of things from the download path (which is where your downloaded videos will be stored on your device) to the max amount of downloaded videos that can be going at once. You can also adjust various other settings like only allowing videos to download via Wi-Fi or setting the default video and audio players.
Next to the overflow menu is the download button. This takes you to the menu where you can see all of your downloads that are happening in the queue.
There is also a second tab where you can see all of the downloaded videos that have actually completed so you know what it is that you’ve already downloaded. This way you don’t actually download the same video(s) and have duplicates taking up precious storage space.
If for any reason you need to pause your downloads, in the downloads menu you can access a pause option by hitting the overflow button in the top right corner. There is also an option to resume all when you’re ready to finish the downloads, or you can also batch delete a number of items.
When you find the video that you want to download, after hitting the download button which will be the floating action button from the video screen, you’ll have a series of options that pop up before the download actually starts. These will let you select the video quality for the download, which will also dictate how large the download file is. This is where you can also select whether you want to download to be in an MP3 audio format instead of in a video format, and you’ll also have the option to share the video from here.
KeepVid Android is a pretty simple app to use and it’s straightforward with what it does. There are not a whole lot of extra functions and features and there doesn’t need to be. The app provides a simple and fast way to download videos and music that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to download without the use of a website or other software, and it does it on your Android device no less, when normally this is something you would have to do on a desktop.
Ratings
- Speed (5/5) – The app opens quick, and it works quickly, though the download speed itself will depend on the internet connection and not the app.
- Features (4.5/5) – A decent amount of features and just enough for what the app is supposed to do for the user.
- Theme (4.5/5) – A nice looking UI design that shouldn’t disappoint as it’s easy to navigate and it utilizes some material design.
- Overall (4.5/5) – A well-rounded app with just what you need to download videos and music that you want to watch later on or for when you want to watch them offline.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Decent UI
- Multiple sources for videos and music
- A way to share videos with others
- Ability to check your download queue and completed downloads
- Ability to search for videos by URL
Cons
- Logging in to grab videos from social feeds like Facebook and Instagram doesn’t automatically log you in if you have those apps installed, and actually requires you to physically enter your credentials.
While not everyone is going to have a need or a desire to download videos from places like YouTube and Vimeo, if you like watching videos from these sources but don’t always have internet to stream them, this app will provide a easy way for you to still watch the videos you want. It’s definitely a nifty tool to have installed especially since you have control over various factors like how much space the downloads take up based on the video quality.
Download KeepVid Android