If you haven't previously owned the app or want additional features like ad-blocking and background play, you can sideload a modified IPA file.
If you are jailbroken, you can use a tweak like DisableYouTubeUpdate or AppAdmin to bypass version checks or spoof your app version to "17.xx.x" to trick the servers. Summary of Options Ease of Use Reliability App Store (Purchased) Moderate (may still hit "Update" error) Safari (Mobile Web) Highest (no errors) Side-loading IPA High (if using a stable archive) Jailbreak Tweaks High (requires technical setup) If you'd like, I can help you find: Instructions for jailbreaking iOS 12.5.6 How to spoof your app version using a file manager youtube ipa for ios 12.5.6
Tap the Cloud icon . If prompted with an error saying it requires a newer iOS, look for a popup asking if you want to "Download an older version of this app" and select Download . If you haven't previously owned the app or
If you've never "bought" the app before, sign in with your Apple ID on a newer iPhone (iOS 16+) and download YouTube there first. It will then appear in your "Purchased" history on the older device. 2. Using Sideloaded IPAs If prompted with an error saying it requires
Look for YouTube version 15.x or 16.x, which were the last to support iOS 12. Use reputable community archives like r/LegacyJailbreak or Archive.org .