YouTube Can No Longer Be Used In 5 Popular IPhone Models, Is Your Phone Included?

JAKARTA - YouTube, the multi-million-person main video application worldwide, can no longer be run on several old iPhone models. Google is quietly updating the YouTube app for iOS to version 20.22.1, which now requires a minimum of iOS 16 so that it can be installed and used.

This means that a number of Apple devices that cannot be updated to iOS 16 have officially lost access to the YouTube app.

The affected models include:

iPhone 6s

iPhone 6s Plus

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

the first generation iPhone SE

7th Generation Touch

As for iPad users, YouTube is no longer supporting the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4, because both devices also can't run the iPadOS 16.

This change has occurred since the update released on June 2, 2025. Although the update description only mentions "bug improvements, performance improvements, and more cat videos," it said in its technical notes that YouTube now needs iOS 16 or later.

This decision sparked mixed reactions on social media. Many users are disappointed that their devices are becoming incompatible, although technically they are still able to run video streaming. One user X (formerly Twitter) wrote, "WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS WORLD? I'M STILL WEARING IPHONE 6S!" While others quipped, "Goodbye iPhone 6s, it's been a long time for us together."

However, some users show how to outsmart it, namely by continuing to watch YouTube through the Safari browser. "If you're tight, watch it on Safari as God meant," joked one user.

Tips: To make sure YouTube can still be used, users must update their iPhone to iOS 16 or later. How:

Open the Settings (Settings) application.

Enter the General (UMUM).

Select About (About) to view the current iOS version.

If you haven't used iOS 16, return to the General menu, select Software Update, then click Install Now if an update is available.

For future convenience, enable automatic updates in the Automatic Updates menu.