Phones have become the default way most people watch YouTube – commutes, lunch breaks, waiting rooms, wherever. But streaming eats through data fast, and there’s nothing more frustrating than losing connection mid-video. That’s where downloading comes in.
The thing is, how to download YouTube videos to your phone isn’t as straightforward as it should be. Both Apple and Google have their reasons for making it complicated (spoiler: it’s about keeping YouTube Premium subscriptions attractive), which means the official path requires paying for Premium. But if you’re looking to download YouTube videos to your phone without premium, there are legitimate ways to do it—you just need to know where to look.
Why Phone Downloads Are Different (And Why That Matters)
Downloading YouTube videos to a phone is trickier than on a computer, and it’s worth understanding why before we get into solutions.
First, app stores have policies. Both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store explicitly prohibit apps that download YouTube content. That means you won’t find straightforward YouTube downloader apps sitting there waiting for you. Any solution has to work around these restrictions in some way.
Second, mobile operating systems are more locked down than desktop ones. iOS especially – Apple controls what apps can do more tightly than almost any other platform. Android gives you more freedom, but even there, you’ll need to venture outside the Play Store for the best downloading tools.
Third, storage matters more on phones. A desktop might have a terabyte of space; your phone probably has 128GB or less, and some of that’s already eaten up by apps and photos. So when you download videos to your phone, quality and file size become real considerations.
None of this makes it impossible. It just means the approach is a bit different than what you’d do on a Mac or PC.
Read also: How to Download 4K YouTube Videos: A Complete Guide (2025)
Best Methods for Android
Android users have more options because the platform allows installing apps from outside the Play Store. This is both a freedom and a responsibility – you need to be careful about sources, but when you do it right, you get access to solid downloading tools.
TubeMate (Android Only)
TubeMate has been around for years and remains one of the most reliable ways to download YouTube videos to phone on Android. It’s a full app that you install directly, not a browser extension or online tool.
Here’s how it works: You download TubeMate from a trusted source (not the Play Store – remember, Google doesn’t allow these apps there), install it with a couple of permission adjustments, and then use it to browse YouTube directly within the app. When you find a video you want, tap the download button, choose your quality (from 144p all the way up to 4K depending on what’s available), and save it.
TubeMate handles background downloads, so you can queue up multiple videos and let them download while you do other things. It also extracts audio if you just want the sound file rather than the full video. The interface feels familiar if you’ve used YouTube before—it’s essentially YouTube with a download button added everywhere.
The catch is that you’re installing an APK file from outside the Play Store, which means you need to enable “Install from Unknown Sources” in your settings. Only do this for TubeMate from a legitimate source, and turn the setting back off afterward if you’re security-conscious.
Browser-Based Workarounds (Android)
If you’d rather not install a dedicated app, Android browsers can access online YouTube downloaders. These are websites where you paste a video URL, and the site generates a download link.
Open Chrome or your preferred browser, go to YouTube, find your video, and share the link to copy it. Then visit a downloader site (there are several out there—we won’t recommend specific sketchy ones, but you’ll find them), paste the URL, and follow their process to download.
This method works but comes with significant downsides. Most of these sites are buried in ads, some with fake download buttons designed to trick you into clicking the wrong thing. The quality options are often limited, and speeds can be inconsistent. It’s functional in a pinch, but not ideal for regular use.
Best Methods for iPhone
iOS makes this harder because Apple doesn’t allow sideloading apps the way Android does. You’re stuck with what’s in the App Store, and direct YouTube downloaders aren’t there. So iPhone users need creative workarounds.
Documents by Readdle (iOS)
Documents by Readdle is a file management app that’s completely legitimate and available in the App Store. It wasn’t designed specifically as a YouTube downloader, but its built-in browser makes it possible to download videos through a clever workaround.
Here’s the process: Install Documents by Readdle from the App Store (it’s free). Open the app and tap the compass icon to open its browser. Navigate to an online YouTube downloader website. Back in Safari or the YouTube app, find the video you want, tap Share, and copy the link. Return to Documents, paste the link into the downloader site, select your quality, and download.
The video saves to the Downloads folder in Documents. From there, you can tap the three dots next to the file, select “Move,” choose “Photos,” and grant access so the video appears in your iPhone’s Photos app alongside your regular pictures and videos.
It’s more steps than TubeMate on Android, but it works, and you’re using only official App Store apps to do it. The trade-off is that you’re relying on whatever online downloader site you visit, which brings the same ad-heavy, potentially sketchy issues we mentioned for Android browser methods.
iOS Shortcuts Method (iOS)
If you’re comfortable with a bit more setup, iOS Shortcuts can automate the download process. You can find pre-made shortcuts from sources like RoutineHub that handle YouTube downloads.
Install the shortcut, copy a YouTube link, run the shortcut, and it processes the download for you. This is cleaner than the Documents method once it’s set up, but it requires finding a trustworthy shortcut (there are outdated or broken ones floating around), and shortcuts can break when YouTube changes how their system works.
Read also: How to Download MP3 From YouTube in 2025
What About YouTube Premium?
We should acknowledge the legitimate option: YouTube Premium costs $11.99/month and includes official offline downloads. You tap a download button right in the YouTube app, pick your quality, and the video saves for offline viewing within YouTube.
The downside? Those downloads only work inside the YouTube app. You can’t move them to your phone’s storage, share them, or keep them if you cancel your subscription. You’re also paying monthly for something that third-party tools handle one-time.
Premium makes sense if you also value ad-free viewing and YouTube Music access. If you only care about downloads, it’s an expensive solution for a narrow need.
Download on Desktop, Transfer to Phone
If downloading directly on your phone feels too complicated or you’re already browsing YouTube on your computer, there’s a simpler approach: use Tubly’s extension to download videos on desktop, then transfer them to your phone.
This method eliminates the hassle of dealing with Android APK files or navigating iOS restrictions. You download on your computer where you have more control and better speeds, then move the file to your phone however you normally transfer files.
How Tubly Works
Install the extension from Tubly’s website. Once it’s added to your browser, a download button appears directly on YouTube’s video page whenever you’re watching something. Click it, choose your quality (720p, 1080p, or 4K depending on what you need), and the video downloads to your computer.
The extension is lightweight and doesn’t slow down your browser. Unlike sketchy online downloader sites, there are no misleading ads, no extra clicks through multiple pages, and no risk of downloading the wrong file. It’s just YouTube with a working download button added – the way it probably should have been from the start.
Getting Videos to Your Phone
Once you’ve downloaded videos with Tubly, transferring them to your phone is straightforward:
For iPhone users: Connect your phone to your computer with a cable, open iTunes or Finder (on Mac), and drag the video files to your phone’s storage. They’ll appear in the Files app, and from there you can move them to Photos if you want them alongside your regular videos.
For Android users: Connect via USB cable and drag videos directly to your phone’s storage in File Explorer (Windows) or Android File Transfer (Mac). Or skip the cable entirely and use cloud storage – upload the video to Google Drive or Dropbox from your computer, then download it on your phone.
A Note on Video Quality and Storage
When you’re downloading videos to a phone, quality directly impacts file size. A 10-minute video in 1080p might be 100-200MB. The same video in 4K could be 500MB or more. That adds up fast if you’re downloading multiple videos.
For most phone screens, 720p looks perfectly fine. You’re not watching on a 60-inch TV—you’re looking at a 6-inch display where the difference between 720p and 1080p is minimal. If storage is tight, download at 720p or even 480p for content where visual quality isn’t critical (podcasts, lectures, anything that’s mostly talking).
Also remember that you can delete videos after watching them. Treat your phone’s video storage like a rotating library rather than a permanent archive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download YouTube videos to my phone without premium?
For Android users, TubeMate is the most reliable method—download the app from a trusted source outside the Play Store, install it, and download videos directly through the app with quality options up to 4K. For iPhone users, use Documents by Readdle (a free App Store app) combined with an online video downloader accessed through Documents’ built-in browser. Copy the YouTube link, paste it into the downloader site within Documents, select your quality, and save the video to your phone’s Photos app.
What’s the difference between downloading on iPhone versus Android?
Android allows installing apps from outside the Play Store, which means dedicated downloader apps like TubeMate work well. iPhone doesn’t allow this—you’re restricted to App Store apps only. iPhone users need workarounds using apps that weren’t explicitly designed for downloading (like Documents by Readdle) or iOS Shortcuts. Android offers more straightforward solutions; iOS requires more steps but can still get the job done.
Can I download YouTube videos directly to my phone’s camera roll or gallery?
On Android with TubeMate, yes—videos download directly to your phone’s storage and appear in your gallery app. On iPhone using Documents by Readdle, you need an extra step: after downloading, you open the file in Documents, tap the menu, select “Move,” and choose “Photos” to transfer it to your camera roll. It’s not automatic, but it only takes a few seconds.
Will downloading videos drain my battery or use up my data?
Downloading uses data if you’re on cellular, so connect to Wi-Fi first unless you have unlimited data. As for battery, downloading in the background uses some power, but it’s not dramatic—similar to streaming would be. The real battery benefit comes from watching downloaded videos later without needing an active internet connection, which actually uses less power than streaming.
