Running the YouTube app on Android 5 (Lollipop) has become increasingly difficult as Google officially phased out support for this version years ago. While the official app may still be present on some devices, it frequently triggers "Switch to YouTube.com" messages or server errors. Current Support Status (2026) Official Support:
Conclusion:
What Works:
For the best YouTube experience on an Android 5 device in 2024:
Update the YouTube app for Android 5.0 and 5.1 - Google Help youtube android 5 version full
Step 4: Install & Sign In
YouTube 16.40.36: Released in October 2021, this is widely cited as one of the last stable official builds for Lollipop. Running the YouTube app on Android 5 (Lollipop)
Permission Blocks: Android 5 requires manual acceptance of new permissions (introduced in version 12.13) to continue updates, but even with these, the app may fail to load new content.
If you have an old app installed that says "Switch to YouTube.com" or shows a connection error: Permission Blocks : Android 5 requires manual acceptance