Before we jump into solutions, it is important to understand why this has happened.
The last official version of the YouTube app that worked natively on 5.1.1 was YouTube 17.17.34 (released around early 2021). After that, updates became incompatible. Youtube For Android 5.1.1
Reviewing this version brings up mixed emotions about the evolution of the platform. Before we jump into solutions, it is important
If you hate ads, want background play, and need a modern UI without Google Play Services, NewPipe is the best application for Android 5.1.1. The last official version of the YouTube app
NewPipe is a third-party, open-source YouTube client. Because it does not use Google's API, it does not break when Google updates the main YouTube app.
In the fast-moving world of tech apps, nine years is a lifetime. If you were an Android user in 2015, you were likely running YouTube version 5.1.1 (or thereabouts) on a Samsung Galaxy S5, an HTC One M8, or perhaps the newly released Galaxy S6.
Looking back, this version of YouTube represents a perfect storm of design evolution and feature simplicity that is missing from today’s "Super App" experience.