We will use a trusted third-party repository, (owned by the same team behind Android Police), because Google has removed the old versions from the Play Store.
Finally, the third pillar of this quest is the ecosystem of . Applications like NewPipe or LibreTube are designed specifically for older Android versions. They do not use Google’s proprietary Play Services; instead, they scrape the YouTube website and parse the data. For an Android 8.1 device, NewPipe is a revelation: it allows true video downloading to local storage, background playback, and pop-up mode—all for free. The trade-off is the absence of a login feature (to avoid account bans), meaning no subscription feed or comment posting. For the user who simply wants to watch a tutorial or listen to a podcast on a five-year-old phone, this is often the perfect solution. download youtube for android 8.1