Normally I use NewPipe on android. It’s an alternative YouTube app that can play videos in the background, doesn’t have ads and allows me to download videos and music.
I had the YouTube app disabled with adb on this phone for all the time I’ve had it. For backup there’s always the browser YouTube page.
I must have done something wrong and accidentally clicked install on the YouTube app again, so it activated and was back to normal on this phone.
Holy hell is that app a terrible advertising machine. Every time I click on a YouTube video now I get sent straight to it and it always plays ads and also has text ads all over the GUI so I can’t even read the channel info etc while I wait for the ads to go away.
I don’t know how people deal with that it would completely make me want to stop using YouTube.
Please do yourself a favor and install NewPipe or ReVanced (I think that’s the name of basically the same app but with sponsorblock additionally). Both are on f-droid.org app store as well. Less important because you can manually use NewPipe but you could also disable the YT app with adb so it disappears from your phone.
I have Pixeld Android 16 and there I can still diasable every pre-installed app directly in the app settings. Also you could just go to the “open by default” settings of the app an set it to back to “browser” this way yt videos you click will not open the app anymore but the browser.
I think when you disable yt you can even got to the NewPipe app settings and enbaled it to be opened by default for each yt link and many more are supported by the app.
Also the youtube app is very usable with premium obviously. So in case you want to try it out but want it cheaper you could try the vpn trick an buy premium from a “low cost” country. Unfortunately google is fighting is actively and for most countries you’d need a credit card from that country. However Poland still worked for me for example and it’t still almost half the price therr.