I need to download a YouTube video for use in a presentation. I am currently within the 30 day window of my iPad only experiment. This is a good test case for me. 
Does anyone have a recommendation for the best way to download a YouTube video using the iPad?
I’ve read of ways to do this using multiple 3rd party apps, but if you are a YouTube Premium subscriber you just tap Download on the Watch page of the YT app.
I’ve never tried any third party solutions
I’m not a subscriber. I’m not sure how much value I’d get from YouTube Premium. $140/year is expensive. I’m not interested in the music (I’m an Apple Music subscriber). So for $140/year, I essentially get no ads and downloading.
With YouTube Premium, you can:
- Watch millions of videos on YouTube without ads.
- Download videos and playlists on your mobile device to watch offline.
- Continue playing videos on your mobile device while using other apps or when your screen is off.
- Get a subscription to YouTube Music Premium at no monetary cost.
- Enjoy your music and podcasts on your Google Home or Chromecast Audio.
Perhaps it is just me, but that does not seem like a good ROI.
If you’re really ambitious, MacStories described a method to do this: https://www.macstories.net/linked/downloading-youtube-videos-on-ipad-with-youtube-dl-and-a-shell/
Article is 4 years old. Not sure it still works.
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Thanks, I’ll check it out!
It works for me because YT premium is my only “permanent” streaming service and is an acceptable substitute for Apple Music. Any other solution is likely to be temporary.
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Do you have an active internet connection? What apps do you use to present? Keynote allows for embedding YouTube videos.
I don’t want to embed the videos because sometimes I run into buffering issues. I prefer to have the videos stored locally and then linked in the Keynote slide.
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This is one of those areas of friction that is very hard to work around unless one can use scripts etc., which I cannot.
If you can’t find an iPad solution:
Thanks. I have it on my Mac, and it works great. I was hoping to find something similar for the iPad.
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Yep. Here’s my solution: Use a Mac for this task! I have a Mac Mini that runs as a file server, mostly for Plex but it also downloads my iCloud Photos to an external drive and I’ve got several several drives of years of files.
It’s also there as a backstop in case something goes wrong with the iPad or, in a case like this, it performs the function I couldn’t do with the iPad.
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PS, I noticed that the description of the premium plan says you can watch downloaded videos for 30 days using the YouTube app.
- What happens to the downloaded videos after 30 days?
- Am I correct in understanding that one cannot watch downloaded YouTube videos in anything other than the YouTube app?
- If one must use the YouTube app to watch downloaded videos, I assume one cannot embed the videos into a slide, correct?
Assuming ChatGPT is correct,
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What happens to the downloaded videos after 30 days?
Downloaded YouTube videos typically expire after 30 days. If you are still connected to the internet, the app may renew the download automatically. If not, the videos will become unavailable for offline viewing until you reconnect to the internet and download them again.
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Am I correct in understanding that one cannot watch downloaded YouTube videos in anything other than the YouTube app?
Yes, you are correct. Downloaded YouTube videos are encrypted and can only be accessed through the YouTube app. This restriction ensures that the videos comply with YouTube’s licensing agreements and DRM (Digital Rights Management) protections.
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If one must use the YouTube app to watch downloaded videos, I assume one cannot embed the videos into a slide, correct?
Correct. Since downloaded YouTube videos can only be viewed within the YouTube app, they cannot be embedded directly into a slide or any other application. To include a video in a presentation, you would need to stream it live from YouTube using an internet connection or use an alternative method, such as screen recording the portion of the video you need (considering copyright and usage rights).
ChatGPT is correct. You can keep downloaded videos as long as you connect to the internet every 29 days or until the video is no longer available on YouTube.
If I wanted to present a YT Video I would take my Chromecast with Google TV device (Google’s version of Apple TV - $30) connect it to the TV/Projector, etc at the meeting location and cast the video from my iPad. (This apparently requires Wi-Fi)
I just tested the above and AFAIK the YouTube app on the chromecast device would need to be logged in with YouTube Premium users account.
A 4K version of Chromecast with GTV is available for $50
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There’s this shortcut. BTW, RoutineHub has a lot of great stuff for anyone trying to do a little extra on their iThings.
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There are certain websites with names like YouTubeDownloader that can do it. Some of them are pretty sketchy though. Perhaps the sandboxing of the iPad protects you, but I wouldn’t know how to judge which are legit and which aren’t (probably all).
However I just tried doing a screen recording of a YouTube video and it worked. You just have to be really quiet because the sound is recorded from the external speakers then through the internal mic. (no sound included in the GIF-ized version of the clip).
I’m all for you succeeding in this goal.
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Thanks. Our school is all Apple (except for high end STEM (especially CAD and engineering) and esports so ChromeCast would probably add complications to our Apple TVs and projectors. But, I appreciate you taking time to offer the advice. 
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Thanks!
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Will it run as is or is scripting required? If the latter, I’m a lot cause. I know less than nothing about scripting.
A friend of mine uses:
In his iPad. He pastes in the url from the YouTube video, selects the resolution and type he wants (video or audio only) and then downloads it into the files app. From there you can move on as you like. Pretty easy.
So this works well on an iPad only environment I’d say?!