The only reliable way to watch YouTube on Android 4.2.2 today is to stop using the official YouTube app entirely.
If you primarily watch videos on Wi-Fi, pre-download them on a modern device and transfer them.
If the device is critical and must run modern apps, the operating system needs to be upgraded. Since manufacturers no longer support 4.2.2 devices:
YouTube has migrated through several API iterations (v2, v3, and now modern iframe/embed protocols).
Following recent server-side changes by Google and mandatory updates to the YouTube Android client (version 18.x and above), devices running Android 4.2.2 can no longer run the latest YouTube app due to:
If you are experiencing functionality loss with YouTube on a device running Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) following a recent update, you are encountering a classic case of "Software Atrophy." This is not a simple bug, but a structural incompatibility between a deprecated operating system architecture and modern application requirements.
The core issue lies in the discontinuation of support for the legacy YouTube API v2 and the withdrawal of binary compatibility for older Android architectures by Google. The "update" you applied—whether to the YouTube app itself or the Google Play Services—has likely severed the handshake between the app and the server.
