Install YouTube on Android

This guide walks you through installing ad-free YouTube and YouTube Music on an Android phone or tablet. You will download a few app files and install them in order.

What you need

• An Android phone or tablet (Android 8.0 or newer)
• About 200 MB of free storage
• A few minutes — no computer required

Step 1 — Download the apps

Open the Apps page on your phone and download:

1. MicroG — required helper (install this first)
2. YouTube and/or YouTube Music — pick one or both

Your browser saves the files to Downloads (or your browser’s download list).

Step 2 — Allow installs from your browser

Android blocks apps from outside the Play Store until you allow it once.

1. Open Settings
2. Search for Install unknown apps (wording varies by phone)
3. Tap your browser (Chrome, Samsung Internet, etc.)
4. Turn on Allow from this source

You only need to do this once for the browser you used to download the files.

Step 3 — Install MicroG

1. Open Downloads (or tap the finished download in your browser)
2. Tap the MicroG file
3. Tap Install — allow unknown apps if asked
4. When it finishes, tap Open
5. Grant any permissions it asks for and allow it to run in the background

Keep MicroG installed

Do not uninstall MicroG later. YouTube and YouTube Music need it to sign in and play in the background.

Step 4 — Install YouTube or YouTube Music

1. Go back to Downloads
2. Tap the YouTube or YouTube Music file
3. Tap Install

Already have YouTube installed?

Uninstall the regular YouTube app from the Play Store first, or the new app may fail to install.

Step 5 — Sign in and test

1. Open YouTube (or YouTube Music)
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Play a video or song — there should be no ads
4. Lock your phone — audio should keep playing

If sign-in fails, open MicroG, make sure you’re signed in there, restart your phone, and try again.

Something went wrong?

What you see	What to try
Install blocked	Turn on “Install unknown apps” for your browser (Step 2)
“App not installed”	Uninstall stock YouTube/YouTube Music, free up storage, download fresh apps from /Apps
Sign-in loop	Reinstall MicroG, sign in inside MicroG first, then open YouTube
No background audio	Settings → Battery → set MicroG and YouTube to Unrestricted
App crashes	Download the latest apps from /Apps — old builds stop working when YouTube updates
Buffers / stops at 1:00 / missing quality	See Fix YouTube playback issues

Need more help? See the YouTube and YouTube Music pages for extra tips.

These modified apps are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to YouTube, YouTube Music, or Google. They are community-built modifications. Use at your own risk.