How to Use the YouTube TV App on iPhone or iPad: Full Guide

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Understand how to get and use YouTube TV on iOS

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: October 26, 2024 Fact Checked

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Signing Up for YouTube TV

|

Downloading the App

|

Watching Live TV

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Using Your Library

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Using Playback Controls

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Tips

If you have iOS 12 or newer, you can watch YouTube TV on your iPhone or iPad. Keep in mind you must have a subscription to use YouTube TV to stream content. You browse featured shows and movies, and even add them to your library for later viewing. Here's everything you need to know about using the YouTube TV app on iPhone and iPad.

Using YouTube TV for Beginners

Sign up for YouTube TV in a web browser at https://tv.youtube.com/.
Download YouTube TV from the app store and log in using your Google account.
Tap the Live tab to view all shows and movies that are currently live. Tap + to add it to your library.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Signing Up for YouTube TV

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1
Go to https://tv.youtube.com/ in a web browser. For the best experience, use a desktop browser.
- You can't sign up for YouTube TV using the YouTube TV app. You must sign up and purchase a membership using a web browser.
This is in the top-right corner.

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3
Log into your Google account. This is how you'll sign up for a membership and manage your subscription.
- If you don't have a Google account, you can create one.
You'll just need to share your home zip code. This is how YouTube TV will find local networks.
5
Select a membership and. If you start the free trial, you'll still need to choose a membership that will begin once the trial ends. You can always cancel the membership later.
- If desired, select add-ons by clicking the white circle next to a network.
- When finished, click Next.
6
Enter a payment method and click Buy. Make sure the information matches your card.
- You may need to confirm the account via email.

Part 2

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Downloading the App

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1
Open the App Store. You can find this on your home page or in the App Library.
- You must have iOS 12 or later to download the YouTube TV app.
This is the magnifying glass icon.
The results will load.
4
Tap Get. This will be next to YouTube TV by Google.
- If prompted, verify the purchase with your Touch ID, Face ID, passcode, or Apple account password.
- The download may take a few minutes.
This looks like a red TV with a white play button in the middle.
You can find this in the top-right corner.
This is your Google account information.

Part 3

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Watching Live TV

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It's the third tab at the bottom of the screen. It has an icon with a dot with two waves to the side. This displays a list of all the channels offered through YouTube TV.
2
Scroll up and down. To see all your channels and what's on, scroll up and down. For each channel, you'll see a preview of what's airing now.
- On iPad, you can see a timeline view of what is playing on each channel and what is airing up next.
- If you want to filter your results, tap Sort in the top-right corner to organize the results from A-Z, Z-A, and more.
Tap the channel's preview window to view the channel with audio in a larger window. Below the video playback window, you can scroll to see other channels you've recently watched, what's airing next, as well as recommendations for similar shows or channels.
4
Watch in full-screen. To watch in full-screen mode, tap the video playback window. This displays the playback controls. Tap the icon that resembles a square in the lower-right corner of the video window. This plays the channel in full-screen.
- To exit full-screen mode, tap the center of the screen, then tap the icon that resembles a plus in the lower-right corner of the video window.
5
Tap
to cast to your TV (optional). If you want to watch YouTube TV on your TV, tap the icon that resembles a TV with waves in the corner. It's in the upper-right corner of the YouTube TV app, along the playback controls.
- In order to cast to your TV, you need a compatible Samsung or LG smart TV, or a casting device such as a Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, or an XBox One.^{[1]
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Using Your Library

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1
Tap the search
icon. It's in the upper-right corner of the app. This allows you to search for TV shows by name, network, or category.
- If you'd rather browse through recommended shows, tap the Home tab instead.
In the Home tab, scroll down to see recommended TV shows. If you tap the Search icon, you can type the name of a TV show in the search bar at the top of the screen, or scroll down to search for TV shows by network or category.
TV shows have a thumbnail image with the title of the TV show. This displays the TV show info page.
It's near the top of the page. The TV show or movie will be recorded and added to your library when it airs live.
It's the first tab at the bottom of the screen. It has an icon that resembles two squares on top of each other. This displays all the programs saved to your library.
Categories are listed at the top. Categories include Shows, Movies, Sports, Events, Purchased, and Downloads.
This displays the TV show's info page.
Episodes are listed below the title image at the top of their info page. Tap the episode you want to watch to begin playback.

Part 5

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Using Playback Controls

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You can watch live TV or a show saved in your library.
This displays the playback controls in the center, top, and bottom of the video.
The pause button is in the center of the video playback. It's the icon with two vertical bars. This puts the video playback on hold.
When the video playback is paused, tap the 'play' triangle icon in the center to resume the video playback.
5
Tap
to go to the beginning of the show. The icon with the arrow that points left skips back to the beginning of the video.
- If you are watching live TV, you can only go back to the point when you started watching a show.
The button has a "15" inside a circle with an arrow pointing left. This rewinds the video back by 15 seconds.
7
Tap the skip forward button. It's the button that has a "15" inside a circle with an arrow pointing right. This skips the video forward by 15 seconds.
- Skipping forward is not available when watching live TV in real-time.
8
Tap
to skip to the end of the video. The icon with an arrow pointing right skips the video playback to the current moment when watching live TV. When watching a video in your library, it skips to the next episode.
- Skipping to the end is not available when watching live TV in real-time.
9
Drag the slider bar at the bottom of the video playback. The bar at the bottom of the screen represents the total video playback. Drag the red dot forward or backward to jump to any moment in the video.
- When watching live TV, you can only drag the slider bar to the parts of the bar highlighted in red.

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Tips

YouTube TV isn't currently available in all cities. For a complete list, visit the Google website^{[2]
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