I'm having a frustrating issue where links to YouTube videos from apps like WhatsApp and Signal open the YouTube app, but instead of taking me directly to the video, it just directs me to the app's home screen. I've tried a bunch of troubleshooting steps, like reinstalling the YouTube app, clearing the browser cache for both Safari and Chrome, rebooting my device, and even factory resetting my data privacy settings. I've also attempted to open videos from various sources and different links to see if it's a broader issue. Notably, I verified that the problem is only with the YouTube app since links from other apps like Spotify and Instagram work just fine. Additionally, I've made sure all my apps and the OS are up to date. I'm using an iPhone 16 Pro Max with iOS 26.1 and the latest YouTube app version 20.45.3. Unfortunately, neither Apple nor Google support could provide a solution. Has anyone else faced this problem or found a workaround?
3 Answers
I had this issue too! It started after a recent update. Instead of reinstalling, have you tried just signing out of your YouTube account in the app and then signing back in? That temporarily helped me, but it wasn’t a permanent fix.
Yeah, same here. I found that the app often gets stuck. I started manually copying and pasting the video link into the browser instead of opening it directly from the message. It’s a hassle, but at least I can still watch the videos.
I faced a similar problem! What worked for me was uninstalling the YouTube app and then reinstalling it again, but it seems to revert back to the old issue after a while. My guess is that there may be a bug in the newer version of the app. Have you tried rolling back to a previous version?
That's a good idea! I hadn’t thought of trying an older version. How would I go about doing that?
I’ll give that a shot! I’m getting desperate for a quick fix.