How to: Download YouTube Videos on Your iPhone

A couple of years ago, it was really effortless to download YouTube videos to your iPhone using third-party apps. But, things change fast, especially in the tech world. Today, these apps don’t work. Nowadays people struggle to find different ways for downloading YouTube videos on their iPhones. And, if you are still wondering whether it is even possible, I would tell you that it definitely is. You just need to know the right method. And, that’s why we are here. In this article, you will learn how to download YouTube videos on your iPhone.

Watching YouTube videos offline is long overdue. Currently, the offline-watching feature is available in the United States with a monthly paid subscription. This service is called YouTubeRed. It allows downloading your favorite videos to iDevices, without any additional apps.

However, YouTubeRed is NOT available in all countries. Additionally, many folks don’t want to pay the monthly fee. However, we all want to have that option to save YouTube videos and watch them later when internet connections aren’t available.

The good news is that in this article you can learn how to download YouTube videos on your iPhone for free. Additionally, for those of you who want some extra functionalities, there are some ways with initial, one-time payments, which are entirely worth for the money, and far better than a monthly subscription. So, no matter what is your choice, here you will find the method for downloading YouTube videos that will fit your needs.

Download YouTube Videos Using an iOS App

Aside from the non-working YouTube downloaders which I’ve mentioned before, some new ones can get the job done for you. The app that we will use in this section is Documents by Readdle. This is a free app in the Apple App Store.  Here are the steps for downloading YouTube videos.

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or any other iDevice and search for Documents by Readdle.
2. Download the app to your device.
3. Launch the app and click on the Browser icon in the right lower
4. Type “savefromnet” in the search bar and click on the Go
5. Now click on the savefrom.net from the search results.
   

Get the URL of the YouTube Video You want to Download

To continue the procedure for downloading videos from YouTube, you need to get the URL of the particular video you want to download. Here you can see how to do that.

1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone and search for the video you want to download.
2. Once the video starts to play, click on it and you will see an arrow in the top right corner.
3. Tap on that icon and select Copy Link from the offered choices.
4. Once you click the button, the link is copied to your clipboard and you can paste it wherever you want.
   

If you are not using the YouTube app, you can navigate to the YouTube website on Safari or any other browser and do the following steps.

1. Search for the video you want to download.
2. Copy the link from the address bar. (Just tap and hold on the address bar and the Copy option will appear)
3. Stop the video and go back to the Documents by Readdle

Save Your YouTube Video to Your iPhone

1. In the Documents by Readdle, tap on the white box and paste the URL (tap and hold for a second and the Paste option will appear).
2. Click on the drop-down button next do Download to see your different resolution options.
3. Select the resolution you want (for the highest quality pick the highest resolution).
4. Tap on the Download button and name the video according to your likings.
5. Click on the Save button (or Done on the Keyboard), and the download process will start.
6. Once the downloading finishes, your video will appear in the Download folder within the Documents menu option of the app.
   

Saving the Video in a Custom Location

If you want to save your video to a custom location on your iPhone, you can do that with a simple drag and drop action. By default, the videos are saved in your Camera Roll. However, they are not available in the Videos App.

1. For moving the video, tap and hold on it while it pops up.
2. Now, drag the video to a location where you want to place. If you want to move it out of the Downloads folder, drop it on the Back button in the top left corner.
3. Tap on the video again and drag it to the Photo Albums, and then to All Photos.
4. Now your video should appear in the Videos Album.
   

Note: While downloading videos from YouTube we recommend using a Wi-Fi connection. Videos are often relatively big files, especially if you choose a higher resolution. If you are using your carrier’s data plan, this process may consume a lot of your data allowance.

Additionally, if you are concerned that these videos are taking up too much space on your iDevice, choose a lower resolution when downloading. Also, do not forget to delete all the videos that you don’t need from your iPhone’s memory.

Download YouTube Videos Using Your Computer

If for any reason you do not want to use a third-party app and go through all the steps explained above, you can use your computer to download YouTube videos. After that, you can transfer these videos to your iPhone. And, when we talk about your computer, there are many different converters you can use to download videos from YouTube.

Some of them are free, and others may charge a one-time fee. In this method, we will use Softorino’s YouTube converter. It offers a free trial and charges a one-time fee for the full version. The good thing with the paid converters is the ad-free experience as well as the highest viewing quality. Here is the YouTube videos’ download procedure using your computer.

1. Open your internet browser of choice and go to softorino.com.
2. Choose Trial or Buy it the full version.
3. Install and launch the app.
4. If you purchased the full version, provide an email address to get the activation key, and enter it into the installed app.
5. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
6. Unlock your iPhone if needed, and allow the permission for Trusted Computer if required.
7. Open your browser of choice and navigate to the video you want to download.
8. Select the URL address and copy
9. Softorino YouTube Converter will automatically read the URL from clipboard.
10. Open Softorino and select the video you want to download.
11. Choose the resolution
    • 1080p or 720p is recommended for the best viewing experience
12. Select your iPhone and click Convert & Transfer to iPhone.
13. Wait until the app finishes the downloading process.
    

Note: It may take some time to carry out the process, especially if you are downloading a lot of videos. This process is faster compared with the other methods for downloading YouTube videos. Additionally, all the videos will automatically appear in your Videos App. So, you will not need to move them to other folders.

YouTubeRed

YouTubeRed is an app that allows downloading and playing videos offline but is limited to the United States only. Offline watching is also available in some other countries as a part of the main YouTube app. In India for example, YouTube offers an overnight downloading service. It allows users to download videos overnight at discounted data rates by mobile operators. Later users can watch the downloaded videos offline. This service is also not available in all countries. However, you should check if you have it in your country, because there isn’t a strict list with all the covered countries.

If YouTube doesn’t allow native downloading videos in your country, you can use some of the methods explained above.

Why Do You Need to Download Videos?

Having videos stored on your iPhone or any other iDevice is convenient for times when you don’t have an active internet connection. Also, it is advantageous for times when your internet connection is not stable or fast enough to handle watching videos online. Some of the most common scenarios are taking a long car ride, taking a trip on a plane, visiting an area (mountains) where there is no internet. In these situations downloaded YouTube videos are a great way to interact yourself.

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Legal?

Legally speaking, here is the real picture. YouTube broadcasts content through the internet for its users. YouTube converters allow users to watch YouTube videos when internet broadcasting is not available. That is called “time-shifting.” This is formally legalized in the USA, back in 1984, and it is determined as “fair use” for personal watching. “Personal” is the crucial term here. So, according to the 1984 ruling, downloading and saving content for your personal needs is completely legal.

However, YouTube has terms of services that do state otherwise:

“You shall not download any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content.You shall not copy, reproduce, make available online or electronically transmit, publish, adapt, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content. YouTube and its licensors reserve all rights not expressly granted in and to the Service and the Content.”

The 1984 ruling was based on the technology which people rarely use nowadays (videorecording on VHS tapes). But, if we must compare, downloading video is very similar to recording it elsewhere for later use. YouTube converters are like DVR for YouTube.

Until the court systems create new statements involving the internet and explicitly downloading and saving web videos, the rule of 1984 stands. So, it comes to your personal likings on how you interpret the law and what you consider as personal use.

Conclusion

YouTube is already working on a free offline service which we will be able to use in the future. It will allow all the users to download videos and watch them offline, without needing a Wi-Fi or data connection. However, while this service is in progress, you can use the methods from above for downloading your favorite YouTube videos to your iPhone. Additionally, you can use these methods for downloading any video that has a URL. So, you are not limited to downloading only YouTube videos. You can also download videos from other sites. Feel free to try out these methods and share your experience with us.