[Updated] YouTube 'Something went wrong' error on iOS devices being looked into, confirms support

Here’s the crux of the article in video form

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on November 9, 2022) follows:

A large number of people still turn to YouTube to watch anything that goes viral because of its reliability.

The app also receives regular updates for enhanced features and experiences. However, some of the updates give rise to various bugs and issues.

YouTube ‘Something went wrong’ error in iOS

Lately, many iOS users (1,2,3,4,5,6) have been experiencing an issue where they are unable to watch any videos on YouTube.

@TeamYouTube im getting “something went wrong” messages when trying to play videos on mobile app. im on iphone, everythings up to date.
Source

@TeamYouTube Can you just tell me how to fix the “Something went wrong. Tap to try again” error on my iPad? This is the only thing I watch YouTube on and I need it back!
Source

According to reports, the latest iOS app update seems to have been broken as it’s giving a ‘Something went wrong’ error every time someone plays a video.

Even though some say the recent update (v17.44.4) fixed the issue, others still continue to struggle with this.

It seems that reinstalling the app also doesn’t fix the issue permanently and only works for a limited time.

Official acknowledgment and potential workaround

Fortunately, YouTube is aware of the issue and said that the team is currently investigating it.

Since there’s no ETA for a fix, those affected can try the following workaround.

Restarting my phone fixed it for me
Source

We hope that the above-mentioned workaround helps fix the YouTube ‘Something went wrong’ error on iOS.

As always, we will be updating this space when the bug is fixed so stay tuned for more information.

In the meantime, make sure you check out our YouTube bugs and issues tracker to see similar problems affecting users.

03:26 pm (IST): Some YouTube app users on iOS are still dealing with the ‘Something went wrong, Tap to retry’ error message that is only temporarily resolved by restarting the device (1, 2).

The YouTube team continues to investigate the issue. In the meantime, they recommend uninstalling and reinstalling the app as a potential workaround.

we’re currently looking into the “Something Went Wrong Tap to retry” playback error. also, it’s best to make sure that you’re logged in to the acct w/ the Premium subscription. btw, uninstalling then reinstalling the app usually does the fix. lmk if you’re still having trouble!
Source

03:35 pm (IST): YouTube support has informed users that updating the app to the latest version might fix this issue. However, one of those affected has confirmed that it didn’t work.

05:20 pm (IST): YouTube took to Twitter yet again to tell users that they are looking into the ‘Something went wrong’ error issue on iOS devices.

if you haven’t already, you can restart your device and the YouTube app. reinstalling it might help. we’re also looking into this. thx for your patience
Source

Meanwhile, those affected can try restarting their devices and reinstalling the YouTube app.

11:01 am (IST): In a recent response, YouTube support said that they are still looking into it. In the meantime, users can try signing out and then back in or re-installing the app and see if it helps.

we’re still looking into it! you can try signing out then back in to see if it fixes the issue. reinstalling the app helps, too (Source)

01:10 pm (IST): YouTube on iOS recently received a new update (v17.48.2). Go ahead and install it to see if it addresses the issue.

01:24 pm (IST): It seems that the recent update did not fix this issue as users continue to report it. Moreover, YouTube support still says that they are working on it.

we’re currently looking into this, thx for your patience. for now, you can restart the app and your device + make sure that it’s updated on your phone. reinstalling it might also help (Source)

10:57 pm (IST): YouTube app for iOS got another update recently. Sadly, it seems that it didn’t bring a fix for the problem as related reports keep popping up (1, 2).

06:31 pm (IST): Some YouTube Studio users on Android are also reporting that they are getting ‘Something went wrong’ error.

However, YouTube support has recommended those affected clear the app’s cache/data, and that appears to have worked for a user.

03:28 pm (IST): YouTube support is now asking those affected to update their device to iOS 16.2 and see if the issue has been resolved.

06:07 pm (IST): In the recent response, YouTube support has asked those affected to keep their connection stable, update the app to the latest version, or try clearing the cache.

try checking your internet stability/connection + updating the app by downloading the latest version. clearing the cache & cookies can also help. more info here: https://goo.gle/3uRiBmC (Source)

06:07 pm (IST): The iOS version of the YouTube app received an update recently. However, some users are still facing the ‘Something went wrong’ error issue (1,2,3).

03:52 pm (IST): An individual has confirmed that restarting the device could serve as a temporary workaround for this issue.

02:29 pm (IST): Although the YouTube app has received multiple updates, the ‘Something went wrong’ error on iOS devices persists. Meanwhile, the YouTube team keeps saying that they are working on it, but still no ETA.

03:16 pm (IST): One of those affected has confirmed that this issue got fixed after they installed iOS 16.2. However, it persists for some even after upgrading to the latest iOS version.

05:40 pm (IST): Till the time YouTube improves its iOS app, you can watch videos in a web browser like Safari as a temporary workaround.

02:43 pm (IST): YouTube support has now offered a step-by-step-troubleshooting instructions to help solve the ‘Something went wrong’ error on iOS devices.

thx for letting us know: so first thing is to clear your cache & try deleting the app > restart your device > reinstall the app. also, does this happen across devices?
Source

03:26 pm (IST): A user has now reported that they get ‘Something went wrong’ error even when they use YouTube on a web browser like Chrome.

12:46 pm (IST): An affected user noticed that the issue tends to arise more frequently when their phone is connected to Wifi rather than cellular. Coincidentally, a hard reset helped solve the problem.

Giving my phone a hard restart seemed to help it, along with these steps: turn off wifi -> shut app down -> turn on wifi -> turn on app

Also I find that this issue happens most often when my phone is using wifi rather than cellular. Turning wifi off and turning the app on using cellular seemed to work for me too. Hopefully this is helpful in someway?
Source

06:08 pm (IST): A user reports that when they had their adblocker turned on, this issue was occurring to them. Therefore, individuals who have adblockers activated can try turning them off to check whether the issue still occurs.

Happened to me i found a fix for my problem…. If you have a ad blocker installed try uninstalling it that was causing this problem for me
Source

01:40 pm (IST): While fresh reports for this issue continue to pour in, YouTube support still says that they are investigating it. Also, there’s no ETA on the fix as of yet.

we’re aware of this issue & currently looking into it. also, is this happening across all devices? try restarting your app/device & if you’re using an Apple device, we recommend updating your iOS version to 16.2 (Source)

10:01 am (IST): The app was last updated on December 16, 2022. This implies that YouTube has not released an update for the past 18 days.

According to the App Store’s release dates, this is the longest break they have had in a while. So we hope that the upcoming version fixes this persistent issue.

12:21 pm (IST): A Redditor has pointed out that there’s some issue with Google Global Cache System. And this could be a possible reason why many YouTube users are encountering ‘Something went wrong’ error.

10:53 am (IST): While this issue is primarily affecting iOS users, YouTube support suggested that Android users who are facing a similar problem can try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

got it, thx for sharing more info! we’re looking into this rn. in the meantime, if you’re on an Android device, can you try uninstalling & reinstalling the YouTube app? if you’re using an Apple device, updating to iOS 16.2 usually does the trick (Source)

12:50 pm (IST): Making matters a little worse, it seems that the annoying ‘Something went wrong’ error is also affecting some YouTube Music users (1,2).

my Google Home Mini is becoming frustrating. I can no longer play songs on repeat (from YouTube Music); I have to constantly unplug and reset it; I’m constantly being told “something went wrong”. So frustrating.
Source

09:26 am (IST): A new update for YouTube app is finally available on iOS. Hence, users can install the latest version and see if this issue gets resolved.

09:39 am (IST): It seems that the latest YouTube iOS app update did not fix the ‘Something went wrong’ error, since related reports keep popping up (1, 2).

Affected users say that they tried to reinstall the app to fix the issue, which means they installed the new update, but the problem persisted.

03:46 pm (IST): There is a tweaked version of the YouTube app for iOS that could help a fix the issue for those with slightly more advanced knowledge of technology.

As expected, this app cannot be downloaded from the App Store, so users will have to download the iPA file (from this link) and use tools like Sideloadly (download it here) or Altserver (download it here) to install it.

To use the ‘Sideloadly’ method, your device will need to be running iOS 14 or iOS 15. Once you have verified this and downloaded both the iPA file and the Sideloadly tool, the instructions are as follows:

For more advanced iOS versions (like iOS 16) you can try the ‘Altserver’ method. As before, you will need to download the iPA file and the tool (Altserver now). The steps to follow are these:

05:04 pm (IST): YouTube app on iOS has recently received a new update with version 18.01.6. Hence, users can install it and see if this issue has been resolved.

01:15 pm (IST): In a recent reveal, the Youtube team has confirmed that they are still working on fixing the issue and have advised iOS users to keep their app updated to the latest version.

we’re still working on a fix for this. while we do that, if you’re using an Apple Device updating to the latest version of iOS. also try clearing the device’s cache + cookies to see if that helps
Source

06:16 pm (IST): Some reports indicate that the ‘Something went wrong’ error appears not only in traditional YouTube videos, but also during Shorts (1, 2).

01:02 pm (IST): YouTube support has confirmed that this issue has been resolved. Moreover, they’ve suggested users to try logging out and then back in or uninstall and then reinstall the app if they are still facing this problem.

02:14 pm (IST): Even though support confirmed that this issue has been resolved, users are still reporting it. According to reports, this problem persists on iOS and YouTube Studio (1, 2, 3).

Moreover, some say that they are getting ‘Something went wrong’ error when they are trying to access different tabs on the YouTube app or upload a video.

06:14 pm (IST): It appears that YouTube’s recent alleged repair was ineffective, therefore the team is once again looking into the ‘Something went wrong’ error.

04:59 pm (IST): As per some reports, the error yet persists in some iOS devices. However, the Support team advices installing the latest iOS version-iOS 16.3.1 to see if it gets fixed.

06:27 pm (IST): Some YouTube users (1,2) have confirmed that updating to the latest iOS version has fixed this ‘Something went wrong’ issue.

01:15 pm (IST): Youtube has rolled out a new patch, Version 18.08.1, which can be installed by the affected to see if it resolves the problem.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated YouTube section, so be sure to follow them as well.

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