When users upgraded their devices to iOS 6, or when they got devices like the iPhone 5 that had iOS 6 pre-loaded, something disappeared. Not everyone realized it at first, but the YouTube app--an app at had been part of the iOS since its first version--was gone. Apple removed it in iOS 6 and the way that many people had watched YouTube videos on their iOS devices was gone.
The app is gone, but does that mean that you can't use YouTube on iOS 6?
What Happened to the YouTube App?
The exact reason that the YouTube app was removed from iOS 6 hasn't been announced. It's been widely reported that Apple and Google, the owner of YouTube, have been clashing on many fronts of the smartphone market and that Apple may not want to direct users to Google's property, YouTube. From Google's perspective, the old YouTube app didn't include ads--the main way Google makes money--so it wasn't doing as much for them as it could. As a result, it may well have been a mutual decision to remove the YouTube app from iOS 6.
Unlike the Apple/Google issues that caused the new Maps app to lack Google Maps data and replace it with a lower-quality Apple alternative, the YouTube change doesn't negatively affect users. Why? A new app.
A New YouTube App
Just because the original app was removed doesn't mean that YouTube is blocked from iOS 6 and iOS devices. Virtually as soon as Apple released iOS 6 without the old YouTube app, Google released its own free YouTube app. While YouTube may not be pre-installed on iOS 6, users can easily grab the app and get all the YouTube videos they want.
YouTube on the Web
Besides the new YouTube app, there's another way that iOS 6 users can enjoy YouTube: on the web. That's right, the original way to watch YouTube still works on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch no matter what version of the iOS you're running. Just fire up your iOS device's web browser and go to www.youtube.com. Once there, you can use the site just like you do on your computer.
