However, the passion of the retro-computing community means that as of late 2024, working builds still exist. They rely on community-run proxies (like invidious instances) to translate old YouTube requests into modern ones.
When prompted with "Download an older version of this app?", tap youtube ipa for ios 935 exclusive
This is the most reliable way to use the "official" YouTube app. It tricks the app into thinking it is a newer version to bypass the "Update Required" block. Fix YouTube on iOS 9.3.5 - newline However, the passion of the retro-computing community means
Google officially dropped support for iOS 9 nearly three years ago. However, a niche community of developers has kept the lights on. Enter the solution: It tricks the app into thinking it is
"The appeal isn't just about piracy or blocking ads," says Alex , a developer who maintains a repository of these files on a popular Discord server dedicated to legacy iOS devices. "It’s about reclaiming the device. If I’m running an iPhone 6 on iOS 9.3.5, the official YouTube app is a sluggish, crashing mess. An optimized IPA strips out the bloat. It makes a nine-year-old phone feel usable again."
Finding the IPA is only half the battle. The other half is functionality. Because iOS 9.3.5 is now ancient history in tech years, using a YouTube IPA comes with significant caveats:
Getting YouTube to work on iOS 9.3.5, common on legacy devices like the iPad Mini 1, requires bypassing unsupported app errors through techniques such as Plist version spoofing (via jailbreak), App Store purchase history downgrades, or utilizing the TubeRepair tweak. These methods enable a functional, albeit older, version of the YouTube application. For a detailed, community-verified tutorial, see the Reddit discussion at LegacyJailbreak