As part of its Google for Indonesia event, the search giant announced the availability of the video app YouTube Go and localized version of Google Assistant in the archipelago. YouTube Go is specifically designed for users who live in areas with a poor internet connection. The app allows people to save videos when connected to Wi-Fi and watch them at a later time, although the resolution of the content is currently limited to 480p. In addition, users may view both snippets of the content and the file size of the video before downloading the material. Another way in which the app could save data is by permitting the user to share the video to other devices using a Bluetooth connection. Google promised that it will deploy the service at a later date, but it did not provide any specific timeline. It may even take months before it is rolled out, given how long it took for the beta version of the app to finally launch in India.
The Mountain View-based company is also rolling out the Google Assistant in Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of the country. This allows the company to reach more than 40 million native speakers and more than 150 million second-language speakers. Google Assistant is capable of a wide range of actions like reading the latest news, answering questions, and even playing a game. However, the support for this language is currently limited to the Allo app, which means people will have to install the messaging client before using the personal assistant.
Aside from these products, Google also talked about the programs that it is supporting in the country. The company has recently trained around 25,000 developers through online courses and workshops organized in six major cities. Within the next few years, Google aims to train more than 100,000 Android developers. Another program that the firm launched in Indonesia is the Gapura Digital, which aims to improve the online presence of many small businesses. Within its first three months, more than 4,500 business owners have participated in classes organized by the search giant. A separate project, named Womenwill, is dedicated to women entrepreneurs. A number of other things are part of this new initiative as well, like updated features for Waze, Google Station – which is aimed at improving internet access for people in the region, and tappable shortcuts in Search.
