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YouTube app will no longer work on some older iPhone and iPad models

Some older iPhones, iPads, and one iPod touch model are no longer compatible with the YouTube app.

By Alan Friedman

Published: Jun 04, 2025, 1:42 PM

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The YouTube app is seen playing on an iPhone.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the original generation iPhone in 2007, many were surprised to see the device come with a pre-installed YouTube client. Apple even mentioned this in an ad it ran for the iPhone. "You'll be surprised by some of the stuff you find on YouTube," says the voiceover announcer while the ad shows the YouTube client on the device. As we see a YouTube video of a dog riding on a skateboard, the announcer adds, "But when it comes right down to it, maybe the biggest surprise is finding YouTube on your phone."

Things changed with the release of iOS 6 beta 4 in 2012 when Apple removed the YouTube client from iOS (along with Google Maps). Google created iOS apps for YouTube and Google Maps that iPhone users continue to use to this day. But YouTube recently updated its iOS app to version 20.22.1 and with this update came an important change. To install the YouTube app on an iPhone, the handset must be running iOS 16 or later. As a result, several older iPhone models are no longer able to use the YouTube app.

The iPhone models no longer compatible with the YouTube app are those that cannot be updated past iOS 15. These models include the following:

iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone SE (first-generation)

Also included in this list is the iPod touch 7. As for the iPad, the YouTube app now requires that the tablet run iPadOS 16 or later. As a result, there are a couple of iPad models that will no longer be compatible with the iOS YouTube app. These models are the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4.

The mobile YouTube website on Safari. | Image credit-PhoneArena

Apple devices that are no longer compatible with the YouTube app can still view YouTube by opening the mobile web version of the video streamer. Simply open the Safari mobile browser or another mobile browser and head to m.youtube.com. Back in the day, I had to use the site to watch YouTube videos on my LG Voyager and it doesn't deliver the same experience as the YouTube app. Still, unless you go out and purchase a new iPhone or iPad that can install iOS 16 or later, you might find yourself heading to the site to catch YouTube videos.

You can install the YouTube app on your iPhone from the App Store by tapping on this link.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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