Installing YouTube on iOS 12.5.7 is tricky because the App Store officially requires iOS 15.0 or later

This creates a web-app icon that looks and behaves like an app but doesn't require updating.

YouTubeLegacy elegantly solves this communication problem by "spoofing" the app's version number. When the app communicates with YouTube's servers, the tweak intercepts the message and pretends the app is a newer version (like 19.14.2) that the servers still support. The servers then send the correct data, and the app displays it normally. This fix works for many YouTube versions on iOS 11 through 15.

Fortunately, your older device is still highly capable of streaming video. This comprehensive guide outlines the best, safest, and most reliable methods to install and watch YouTube on iOS 12.5.7.

This creates an icon that functions like an app but uses the web version. Secondary Device Method: Log in to your Apple ID on a newer device (iOS 14+). Download YouTube on that device.

This is the safest method because it uses the official Apple App Store to download an older, compatible version of the YouTube app.