Save data on YouTube or Netflix with Opera Max for Android

Opera Software launched a new version of the company's data compression application Opera Max for Android today. The main new feature is compression support for YouTube and Netflix videos. We take the new version for a test ride to find out how effective the new feature really is.

Existing Opera Max users should receive the update to the new version automatically while new users find it listed on Google Play for download.

The application displays a short introduction on first use. Opera Max itself is not enabled by default and you need to tap on connect to do that. Note that it is configured to work with WiFi and mobile data connections.

A tap on the menu icon at the top displays a sidebar menu with options to modify the default preference so that you may enable it only for mobile data usage for instance.

The application displays a prompt to allow its use as a VPN service on the device once you hit connect. This is required for it to work properly, as it tunnels all of the traffic once enabled.

Opera Max works in the background from that moment on. To test its new YouTube or Netflix capabilities, open one of the applications on your Android device and start to watch videos.

The app keeps track of all data and the savings, and displays statistics in its interface. A quick test revealed impressive savings on YouTube. I played several videos on YouTube using the official application and this resulted in savings of more than 50%.

Opera notes that results may vary depending on the type of connection and mobile device that is used to stream the videos, and that there won't be a significant loss of quality when using the application on Android.

Opera launched Opera Max in 2013 as a Opera Turbo / Off-Road spin-off for Android. Opera Turbo has been an integral part of the Opera web browser

Closing Words

Savings of more than 50% when watching videos on YouTube are certainly impressive and while your mileage may vary depending on certain factors, you may want to give this a go if you watch videos on YouTube or Netflix on your mobile regularly and are either on a low data plan or in areas with unreliable or slow Internet.

Now You: have you tried Opera Max's new video compression feature?