Typically, when you tap a link to a YouTube video or short, your Android automatically opens it in the YouTube app rather than your web browser. However, if that isn’t happening, there are several ways to fix the problem.

If the YouTube app on your phone is not configured to open supported links, YouTube links may continue to open in the browser. Here’s what you can do to change that.

  1. Long press on the YouTube app icon and tap the info icon from the menu that appears.
  2. Tap on Set as default and enable the toggle next to Open supported links in the following menu.  You can tap on Supported web addresses to check which URLs the YouTube app can open.

If YouTube links still don’t open in the app or if you face similar issues with other apps as well, you should change your phone’s default method for opening links. Here’s how to do it. 

  1. Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on Apps.
  2. Tap on Choose default apps and select Opening links from the following menu.
  3. Enable the toggle next to Open links in apps. 

On your Galaxy phone, YouTube links may open in the Samsung Internet browser instead of the app if the browser isn’t allowed to open links to other apps. To prevent this, you need to change the default behavior of the Samsung Internet browser by following the steps below.

  1. Open the Settings app on your phone and tap on Apps. 
  2. Scroll through the list or use the search option at the top to locate Samsung Internet on the list. Then, tap on it. 
  3. On the App info page, tap on Samsung Internet settings. 
  4. Scroll down to tap on Useful features and then enable the toggle next to Open links in other apps.

Unlike Android, you cannot configure the YouTube app on the iPhone to open supported links. Fortunately, it is possible to make YouTube links open in the app on your iPhone with a quick workaround. Here are the steps for the same.

  1. On your iPhone, tap and hold any YouTube link and select Copy.
  2. Next, open the Notes app on your iPhone. 
  3. Tap the compose icon in the bottom right corner and paste the copied YouTube link into your note. 
  4. Long press on the link and select Open in YouTube from the resulting menu.  And that’s pretty much it. Now, any time you tap a YouTube link on your iPhone, it will automatically open in the app rather than in your browser. 
  5. How do I share a YouTube video with a specific start time? To send a YouTube video at a specific timestamp, you can add the time to the end of the video’s URL in the format ?t=[number of seconds]. For example, if you want to share a video at the timestamp 1 minute and 30 seconds, you would add ?t=90s to the end of the URL.
  6. Can I create a QR code for a YouTube video? Yes, you can make a QR Code to share YouTube videos using online services.

The YouTube app offers a far better user experience compared to its mobile website. Thankfully, you don’t have to settle for watching YouTube videos in your phone’s browser. Once you apply the above tips, YouTube links should open directly in the app on your Android or iPhone.