Updated Froyo YouTube App Ported to Android 2.1

As part of a commitment to increasing the portability and customization of Android, Google has been moving down the path towards removing core applications and moving them to the Android Market. One of the first apps to do this is YouTube, which recently saw a brand new “Gingerbread” version released via the Android Market. The problem is, this version is only available on Froyo (or higher, assumably) handsets. Cue the sappy violins for those with Android 2.1 and below.

But wait, there is a whole development community ready and willing to get dirty in the name of giving all Android users their fair share, and hacker rolle3k over at XDA has cracked and hacked the new YouTube app and ported it over for phones running Eclair. You are going to need to remove the version of YouTube currently present first, and that isn’t as easy a task as it sounds considering that older version is built deep into the OS. That’s where it gets tricky, but luckily you can head over to the XDA forums and get the app and instructions to go along with it if you are feeling froggy.

[via Androinica]