The Android app from YouTube is overcrowded, slow and full of ads. Even worse: it follows every video that you watch. Newpipe Is a free and open source -android interface for YouTube, which is completely private and does not show any ads. We talked about it Opportunities to watch advertising-free YouTube videos, And Newpipe is probably the best for Android users.
Even better: Newpipe plays the audio from videos in the background and makes it perfect for multitasking. You can listen to music, podcasts or video attachments on YouTube while doing tasks without storing the screen. It also offers an image-in-picture mode so that you can watch videos while using another app and download videos so that you can watch them offline. These are functions for which you would otherwise need a paid YouTube premium subscription to get into an app.
Credit: Justin Pot
There are some potential disadvantages. You cannot register in your Google account so that your subscriptions are not included in the application. There is also no algorithm. This is inevitable for every app based on privacy, but it is worth thinking about it.
The good news is that you can add subscriptions in the application so that you can create a steady stream of videos from creators that you trust. There is also a bookmark function with which you can mark playlists or videos that you want to see later. In short, you will have the opportunity to be a little more proactive about which videos you want to see. There is support for exporting and importing your subscriptions and playlists, which is useful when changing devices.
Another potential disadvantage is that you cannot catch up with Google Play. You must either install the .apk file from the website, which enables you to install your device from “unknown” sources. An alternative that also facilitates the installation of updates is to install Newpipe using use F-DroidThis is a dedicated app store for open source -android publications.
