Why does YouTube Keep Crashing on My Phone?

YouTube has millions of users and, as smartphones take over, the majority of people watch their favourite content on the go. Every Android device has it from the get-go and it’s the second most downloaded app on Apple’s App Store.

And when it works, it works well thanks to a lot of improvements Google made over the years. However, it seems that when it doesn’t work, it’s not something negligible. Namely, more than a few Android users report that the YouTube app keeps crashing on their devices. If you are among them, we have a few troubleshooting steps to recommend.

Table of contents:

1. Restart your phone
2. Clear the app’s cache and data
3. Check YouTube permissions
4. Reinstall YouTube
5. Try with an older version of APK
6. Watch YouTube in the browser for the time being

How to Fix YouTube Keep Crashing on My Phone?

If YouTube keeps crashing on your Android device, restart your phone, clear local data, or reinstall the app. If that doesn’t help, roll back the app version with an APK or stick for the time being with YouTube in a browser.

For details check the steps we listed below. Hopefully, they help you address the issue so you can get back to your favorite content creators in no time.

1. Restart your phone

The first thing to do whenever your Android starts misbehaving is to give it a restart. Maybe the problem is just a slight system halt and you don’t need to worry about that. Usually, this fixes the majority of system issues. And, although YouTube tends to fail from time to time, there’s a good chance that this is something else.

Also, we must say that this list contains troubleshooting steps that are mainly focused on stock Android ROMs. If your device is rooted, there’s a chance that the Safety Net fails and cause issues with YouTube. Removing Magisk should address the issue but, again, we are not sure about that.

2. Clear the app’s cache and data

If the restart doesn’t help, try clearing all local data that YouTube stores on your phone. Although rare, data corruption is possible and, in this case, it might lead to YouTube crashes. One way or another, clearing data won’t delete your account, just restore the app so it can pile up more fresh data.

Here’s how to clear local data from YouTube on Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Expand all apps.
4. Locate and open YouTube. It should be somewhere at the bottom.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Clear data and restart your phone.

This should fix the issue but if YouTube keeps crashing, try with the permissions.

3. Check YouTube permissions

Another thing worth inspecting is permissions. Albeit, YouTube doesn’t require access to various smartphone sensors or cameras to work. Still, there are some permissions you should check. If the issue persists, that is.

You can find all and every permission required by apps in App Settings. Just navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps > YouTube and then you should grant all permissions to YouTube. If that doesn’t help and the issue keeps reoccurring, check the next step.

4. Reinstall YouTube

Reinstallation is also a good idea. You don’t lose much except your time on some settings you might need to reconfigure again. This way you’ll not only get the latest version of the app but reset its processes.

Have in mind that YouTube comes as a system app on some Android skins, so you won’t be able to uninstall it. But you can uninstall YouTube updates and restore them to the factory system version. After that, you can update it again.

Here’s how to reinstall YouTube on Android:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Search for YouTube.
3. Expand the app section and tap Uninstall.
4. Restart your phone and reinstall the app or update it.
5. Check for improvements.

• Fix: Google Play Store not opening

5. Try with an older version of APK

If the newer version doesn’t work, what about an older one? Obviously, Play Store doesn’t offer this option. You can solely install the latest stable and the latest beta versions. So, we’ll need to look elsewhere. The only viable way is to download a YouTube APK from a third-party website and install it on your device.

• Fix: Can’t download YouTube videos on Android

We talked a lot about it in this article about downgrading apps with APKs, however, here are the exact steps necessary for YouTube in particular:

1. Uninstall YouTube completely or uninstall updates.
2. Navigate to APK Mirror. Keep in mind that this is perfectly secure and that these apps are not meddled with.
3. Download an older version of the YouTube app. Make sure to stick to recent versions to avoid compatibility issues but avoid the latest version. Alternatively, if you are on the latest Android version, try the latest Beta or even Alpha.
4. Allow installation from third-party sources and install the APK.
5. Restart your device and check if there’s a video along with audio when you try playing a clip.

6. Watch YouTube in the browser for the time being

In the end, if none of the previous steps worked for you either consider resetting your device to factory settings or use Chrome or any other browser to watch YouTube. By default, opening YouTube links will redirect you toward the app. But, you can avoid that by tapping the 3-dot menu and checking the Desktop Site box.

It is a bit robust way to watch YouTube videos on your phone, but until the solution arises, that’s your best bet. And, with that, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and do tell us about solutions we missed or other Android-related issues you’ve experienced in the comments section below.