This year's major software releases from Apple bring a nice update for watching YouTube videos on many devices. Follow how to watch 4K YouTube videos on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

Update 02/10/2020: Support for YouTube 4K is being rolled out on Apple TV 4K.

While iPhones and iPads don't have 4K displays, they can display better quality video than the 1080p they were limited to with YouTube.

Oddly enough, even though Apple TV 4K has been out for three years, it just gained 4K support from YouTube this year as well. You can watch YouTube in 4K on a Mac, but not with Safari at this time. But we've seen the feature arrive with macOS Big Sur for Netflix.

With iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14, Apple offers 4K YouTube support.

iOS 14: How to Watch 4K YouTube Videos on iPhone and iPad

  1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or iPad (4K not available with YouTube in Safari in iOS 14)
  2. Start playing a video and tap the screen, choose the vertical three-dot "Plus" icon in the upper right corner
  3. Tap Quality
  4. To watch in 4K, choose 2160p when available

Here's what the steps look like on iPad (same steps on iPhone):

Now tap on the three-dot "Plus" icon in the upper right corner:

Now press "Quality" and select "2160p" if available:

On Apple TV 4K with tvOS 14

Note: Apple TV 4K support for YouTube is being rolled out (but with limitations). If you don't see the option yet, you can AirPlay 4K videos from YouTube on iPhone or iPad to Apple TV as a workaround.

  1. Make sure you are using tvOS 14 or later
  2. Open the YouTube app on Apple TV
  3. Start watching a video
  4. Press the touchpad on the Apple TV remote
  5. Select the "Plus" icon with three vertical dots
  6. Choose "Quality" and choose 2160p if available

How to Stream 4K YouTube Videos to Apple TV

Before long, you'll be able to watch YouTube in 4K directly with the YouTube Apple TV app, but until then ...

  1. In the YouTube app on iPhone or iPad running iOS 14, tap the screen of a video that's playing
  2. Tap the broadcast icon (rectangle with the wifi symbol in the left corner)
  3. To choose AirPlay and Bluetooth devices
  4. Tap your Apple TV
  5. Alternatively, you can mirror your iPhone or iPad from Control Center (pull down from the top right corner on devices without a home button / pull up from the bottom of the screen on devices with a home button)

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