YouTube has officially announced that it will no longer support several older Apple devices, requiring users to upgrade to continue using the app. The latest update, YouTube version 20.22.1, now mandates iOS 16 or later for iPhones and iPadOS 16 or higher for iPads.
Affected devices include:
iPhones: iPhone 6s, 6s Plus,
iPhone 7 series,
first-gen iPhone SE,
iPod touch (7th gen)
iPads: iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4
This move aligns with a broader trend among major tech companies to prioritize modern, secure systems that support advanced features and regular updates. As reported by MacRumors, the shift ensures better performance and security but leaves older devices behind.
Users still relying on these unsupported devices can access YouTube via a mobile browser (m.youtube.com), though they’ll miss out on key features like downloads, smooth UI, and performance optimizations.
This follows a similar policy change by WhatsApp, which recently dropped support for iPhones running below iOS 15.1 and Android devices older than version 5.0. Meta cited security and compatibility issues as the reason, urging users to upgrade to newer devices.
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