How to Download YouTube Videos on Mobile (Android and iPhone)

To download a YouTube video on your phone, open the video in the YouTube app, tap Share → Copy link, paste that link into PullVid's YouTube downloader, pick the quality, and tap download. You get an MP4 straight to your phone, with no app to install and no sign-up. The process is nearly identical on Android and iPhone; this guide walks through each step and where the file ends up on each one.

If you get stuck grabbing the URL, see how to copy a YouTube video link. And if all you want is the music, jump straight to the YouTube to MP3 converter.

Download a YouTube video on Android step by step

1. Open the video in the YouTube app (or on the YouTube website in Chrome).
2. Tap Share (the arrow below the video) and choose Copy link.
3. Open Chrome, go to PullVid, and paste the link into the search field (press and hold → Paste).
4. Choose the quality (1080p, for example; for 4K when the video has it, see downloading videos in 4K) and tap Download.
5. The MP4 saves to your phone's Downloads folder; you'll find it in the "Files" or "My Files" app, and from there you can move it to your gallery.

YouTube generates short youtu.be/... links when you share: they work just as well, and there's no need to convert them to the long URL.

Download a YouTube video on iPhone (iOS) step by step

On iPhone the flow is the same, with one difference: iOS saves the video to the Files app first, and from there you move it into Photos.

1. Open the video in the YouTube app, tap Share → Copy link.
2. Open Safari (or Chrome), go to PullVid, and paste the link by pressing and holding the field → Paste.
3. Choose the quality and tap Download. Safari shows the download notice at the top (the arrow icon).
4. The MP4 shows up in the Files app, Downloads folder. To get it into your camera roll, press and hold the file and choose Save to Photos.

Handling it through the Files app is just how iOS manages downloads from any website, not a PullVid glitch. Once it's in Photos, the video lives in your gallery like any other.

Download Shorts and audio only on mobile

The same flow works for Shorts: open the Short, Share → Copy link, and paste it; we go deeper in how to download YouTube Shorts. If you only want the sound or the song, use the YouTube to MP3 converter —you pick MP3 instead of MP4— and save it to your phone the same way; more detail in download YouTube music as MP3 for free.

Common problems on mobile

• "Couldn't process the video": usually a private, paid (members-only), or region-restricted video. Review the causes in why I can't download a video.
• I can't find the video on iPhone: it's in the Files app → Downloads, not directly in Photos. Move it with "Save to Photos."
• It won't let me paste: press and hold inside the search field until Paste appears; if you copied the link correctly, it'll show up.
• The video downloads without sound: choose the option marked as complete (not a video-only track); PullVid merges video and audio automatically in the high qualities.

For general tips on downloading from your phone across any social network, there's the download videos on mobile without apps guide, plus the specific ones for downloading videos on iPhone and on Android.