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YouTube's iOS App Just Dropped Support for These iPhone Models

YouTube has updated its iOS app to version 20.22.1, which now requires iOS 16 or later to install and run. The change means several older iPhone models are no longer officially compatible with the app.

General YouTube Feature Redux
The affected devices are those that cannot upgrade beyond iOS 15 – namely, the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and the first-generation iPhone SE. If you have an iPod touch 7, that will no longer run the app either.

Likewise, the YouTube app for iPad now requires iPadOS 16 or later, which means the app has discontinued support for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4.

Users with these older devices can still access YouTube through their web browser by visiting m.youtube.com, but the experience won't match the native app's functionality.

Tag: YouTube

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Top Rated Comments

Dr McKay Avatar
17 months ago

but the experience won't match the native app's functionality.
That hardly seems like a downside at this point.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
17 months ago
So I guess supporting iOS 15 was a bug



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Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
17 months ago
Web is perfectly fine and it works without ads.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleTO Avatar
17 months ago

Users with these older devices can still access YouTube through their web browser by visiting m.youtube.com, but the experience won't match the native app's functionality.
Realistically, the last supported version of the app will probably still work for a long time… maybe years. There are many old devices with archaic versions of YouTube that still work.

Article is a bit misleading. The older devices are still officially compatible with the final version of the app supported. Unless, YouTube is purposely blocking it from launching, but I don’t believe this is the case.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
17 months ago
its like my old iPhone 6S knew and decided to nuke itself



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Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
17 months ago
The YouTube app is fairly abysmal. Of course, the YouTube web site is abysmal too.

Google management's dislike of UI designers is glaring, and Gemini ain't ever going to fix that.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)