I made the YouTube experience much better on the iPhone. So far I used the Brave Browser, but it’s not my default browser. Everytime I clicked a YouTube link, it would open in the app, which I had since removed, or in Safari to immediately start giving me a high-powered pitch through a pre-roll ad.
No more. I installed two content filters in Safari: Vinegar, which removes the ads, and Unsmartifier, which removes the banner coaxing me to install the YouTube app.
[Thanks, Felix]