Modern YouTube is cluttered. The home screen is a chaotic mix of Shorts, community posts, shopping links, and unrelated recommendations. Version 11.49.9 still utilized the clean, list-based layout. It prioritized your subscriptions and watch history over algorithmically shoved content.

For the average user on an iPhone 12 or newer running iOS 17/18, the answer is . The app will feel dated, you will miss out on YouTube’s latest features (like improved chapters, ambient mode, and live comments), and the sideloading weekly refresh cycle is a nuisance.

Understand the modified apps on older devices.