The safest and most straightforward option is still YouTube Music Premium. You can download audio for offline listening directly in the app, and it works really well.
If you don’t want a subscription, some people download YouTube audio on Android using browser-based converters. You just open the site in Chrome or Firefox, convert to MP3, and save it to your phone storage.
There are also audio downloader apps available as APKs (not on Play Store). Just be careful where you install from—check reviews and permissions. Android gives more flexibility if you want to download YouTube audio on Android for personal use.
Quick reminder: downloading copyrighted audio without permission may violate YouTube’s terms. It’s best for your own content, royalty-free music, or videos where creators allow downloads.
Thanks everyone! Looks like Premium is the cleanest option, but at least now I understand the other ways to download YouTube audio on Android when needed.