Skip YouTube sponsors on iPhone and iPad

Why the YouTube app can't skip sponsors

iOS does not let extensions run inside other companies' apps. Sponsor skippers are browser extensions or separate players, so they only work where they control playback: in Safari, or in an alternative app. That rule applies to SponsorSkip too, which runs in desktop Chrome.

Option 1: SponsorBlock for Safari

SponsorBlock for Safari is the official Safari version from the SponsorBlock developer. On the US App Store it costs $2.99 and supports iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its listing says plainly that it only works on the YouTube website, not the YouTube app.

Install SponsorBlock for Safari from the App Store.
Open Settings, go to Apps, then Safari, then Extensions (on older iOS versions: Settings, Safari, Extensions) and switch SponsorBlock on.
Allow the extension on youtube.com when Safari asks.
Watch videos at youtube.com in Safari. Segments other viewers marked are skipped automatically.

Limits to expect

It only skips what someone already submitted, so new uploads may play their sponsor. Watching on youtube.com in Safari is also a different experience from the app: fewer gestures, and background play depends on your YouTube plan.

Option 2: Jump ahead in the YouTube app

If you have YouTube Premium, Jump ahead can move you to the point most viewers skip to, which is often the end of a sponsor read. YouTube's help page documents it for Android and TVs; check whether it appears in your iPhone app. It isn't included in Premium Lite.

How Jump ahead works and where it's missing

Option 3: an alternative player

Open-source players such as Yattee (iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and macOS) build SponsorBlock in, with configurable categories. Yattee's next version is in a TestFlight beta and pairs with a self-hosted server, so it suits technical users more than everyone else.

Modified versions of the YouTube app also exist. They require sideloading and change Google's app, which carries account and security risks; we don't recommend them.

What about SponsorSkip on iPhone?

SponsorSkip currently runs only as a Chrome extension on desktop. On a Mac, you can use it in Chrome; Safari on Mac is covered by SponsorBlock for Safari. A mobile version is not available.

Sponsor skipping in Safari, Edge, Brave and other browsers

Common questions

Does SponsorBlock work in the YouTube app on iPhone?

No. SponsorBlock for Safari only works on the YouTube website in Safari, as its App Store listing states.

Is there a free sponsor skipper for iPhone?

Not an official one that works in the YouTube app. Skipping by hand is free; SponsorBlock for Safari is a paid App Store app.

Sources

Written by SponsorSkip, which currently offers a Chrome extension only. Third-party apps were checked on their own project pages and stores on the date below; we did not install or security-audit each one. External sources were checked on October 8, 2026. Product details describe SponsorSkip as of the update date above.

Who wrote this

SponsorSkip Product Team

We build SponsorSkip, a Chrome extension that finds sponsor reads in YouTube captions and skips them. Claims about other products are checked against their own pages on the date shown. Claims about our product are checked against the current extension and our published test data.

See how we test detection →

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