In the fast-paced world of online content, the ability to download media for offline viewing is a game-changer. With the iPhone and iPad’s powerful hardware and iOS ecosystem, I have found creative ways to achieve this through the built-in Shortcuts app.
Since iOS 12, I have started to use the Shortcuts app to download videos and music on iPhone. Recently, I created a shortcut, Utimate Media Downloader, to download videos and music from thousands of websites.
Overview of Ultimate Media Downloader Shortcut
The Ultimate Media Downloader shortcut integrates the robust yt-dlp downloader, offering a seamless media downloading experience. The best part, the download process is done on the server side, so you don’t need to install any additional apps.
You can use it to download videos and music from thousands of websites on iPhone, iPad, or Mac(running macOS 12 or newer versions).
What is yt-dlp?
yt-dlp is a popular fork of the youtube-dl project, known for its reliability and extensive support for various websites beyond YouTube. It offers a plethora of features, including the ability to download videos, playlists, and audio from a wide range of platforms.
Its command-line interface, though powerful, can be complex for the average user. This is where the Ultimate Media Downloader shines, wrapping yt-dlp’s functionality into an easy-to-use iOS shortcut.
Features of Ultimate Media Downloader
1. Multi-Platform Support: The shortcut supports downloading from a multitude of websites, including YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Soundcloud, Jiosaavn, and more.
2. Quality Options: Users can choose the video quality they wish to download, from low resolutions suitable for quick viewing to high-definition formats for an immersive experience.
3. Audio Extraction: For those who prefer audio-only content, the shortcut allows the extraction of audio from videos, perfect for podcasts or music enthusiasts.
4. User-Friendly Interface: The shortcut’s integration with the iOS Shortcuts app ensures a smooth and intuitive user experience.
How It Works
The Ultimate Media Downloader is designed to be straightforward. Once installed, users simply need to provide the URL of the media they wish to download. The shortcut then processes the URL using yt-dlp’s powerful backend, fetching the desired media and saving it directly to the device.
This simplicity masks the complexity of yt-dlp’s operations, offering a streamlined and hassle-free experience.
On iPhone or iPad, it is available in Share Sheet. Let’s say that you want to download a YouTube video. Within the YouTube app, you can tap the share icon of a YouTube video, and select “More” > “Ultimate Media Downloader” shortcut.
If you choose to download the Video, it will save the video to Photos. If Audio, it will pop up you to select a location in Files.
Alternatively, you can copy the URL of a video or song and run the shortcut from the Shortcuts app. It works the same.
Supported Websites
Ultimate Media Downloader shortcut supports most websites that yt-dlp supports. You can check the full list of yt-dlp supported sites here.
Popular Video Sharing Sites
It fully supports major video platforms including YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, Dailymotion, etc. Since nobody submits YouTube cookies to me and I run out YouTube accounts, the free version can’t download YouTube age restricted videos. The premium version still supports YouTube age-restricted videos.
Social Media and Educational Platforms
On social media, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, Pinterest, XiaoHongShu/RedNote, Facebook, etc. I didn’t submit TikTok cookies, so it won’t download any TikTok videos that requires login to watch. It can download Instagram posts, stories, and reels.
For education, platforms like Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy are supported. You can download course lectures and educational videos to study offline at their own pace.
Music and Audio
In the music and audio domain, SoundCloud and Jioaavn are supported. It supports 320kbps at the best. Yt-dlp regular updates keep it compatible with new platforms.
NSFW Content
It supports some porn sites like RedTube, and Xvideos. For downloading porn videos, you can use PN Ripper shortcut instead.
The Challenge of Authentication
One of the significant challenges faced by yt-dlp, is handling media that require user authentication. Platforms like YouTube often restrict certain content to users who are logged in, such as age-restricted videos or those available only through a subscription.
Most YouTube downloader shortcuts, such as Ultimate Media Downloader, require YouTube cookies to download videos. Cookies will explore. That’s why most YouTube downloader shortcuts will stop working after some time.
YouTube may detects those accounts used for downloading videos and suspend the video watching function. To make this shortcut work, I need lots of YouTube accounts. If you like to donate a YouTube account, please let me know.
Troubleshooting
If the shortcut running into issues, you may refer to the following to solve it or report to us.
There was a problem running the shortcut
This indicates the video is downloaded but failed to save to Photos. This happens because of system bug or video codec is not compatible. You may try it again later or select another video quality to fix it.
A workaround solution is to add a Quick Look action above the Save to Recents action. This allows you to preview the video once it is downloaded. This way, you can manually save it to Photos. If it fails, you can save the video to Files.
Failed to download one or 2 YouTube videos
If the video is publicly available, it is likely because the video that you want to download is not available in my region. You may submit your cookies to me to solve this issue. If we accept more cookies from you, the shortcut should be able to download any public videos on YouTube.
Another possibility is that the video that you are trying to download is a private video. Yt-dlp requires cookies to download private videos. You may submit your cookies or check other private video downloaders.
All YouTube videos failed
If that happens, it means the cookies used in the shortcut expired. Please inform us to update cookies. Alternatively, you can get my Chrunos Downloader (yt-dlp) shortcut. It runs yt-dlp on your device, so does not require cookies.
Note: You need to disable VPN to use Chrunos Downloader (yt-dlp) shortcut to download YouTube or Instagram.
No URL Specified
That’s a problem of the shortcut. It failed to fetch the download URL. If this kind of error happens, share the URL that you pass to the shortcut in our Telegram group. The support team will update the shortcut to fix the issue.
Conclusion
The Ultimate Media Downloader is a powerful tool that brings the capabilities of yt-dlp to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It allows you to download and enjoy media from various platforms without installing third-party apps.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too will the tools and methods we use to interact with online content. The Ultimate Media Downloader represents a step forward in empowering users to take control of their media consumption. With ongoing development and your feedback, it holds the potential to become an even more versatile and indispensable tool for Apple users worldwide.
I hope you find this article helpful! If you need any further adjustments or additions, feel free to let me know.