Hello fellow, ~~lemmings~~, lemmur !
If you are like me, you probably spend a lot of time on YouTube, more than you want to admit.
I remember the days when videos had stars instead of thumbs up or down, and when YouTube had, let's say, more mature content on it.
Now the site has a lot of functionalitys that are great for Google, but that I don't need nor want.
So, to improve the enjoyment of the platform, I present to you the ultimate extension survival kit for YouTube:
- uBlock Origin: (or your favorite ad-blocker) This is an absolute must-have. It's a good ad-blocker that not only blocks YouTube ads but also works across all websites. It's lightweight, efficient, and open-source. Say goodbye to ads.
- SponsorBlock: Skip over the sponsored segments of videos. It's a community-driven project, with users submitting the timestamps of sponsored content. You can even customize it to skip over different types of segments like intros, outros, and more.
- Return YouTube Dislike: Since YouTube removed the dislike count, it's been harder to gauge the quality of videos. This extension brings back the dislike count.
- DeArrow: Extension for crowdsourcing better titles and thumbnails. It removes click-bait titles and thumbnails providing a cleaner Youtube.
- YouTube Shorts Block: If you're not a fan of shorts, this extension is for you. It plays the Youtube shorts video as if it were a normal video and hides the "shorts" tab from the left menu. Firefox Link Chrome Link
- Enhancer for YouTube: Allows you to add theming options, auto-HD, keyboard shortcuts and more.
These are the extensions I use. Don't hesitate to suggest more. I will edit the post accordingly.
It's not lost on me that these extensions remove many things that were not initially a problem on YouTube but that either arose because of the monetary incentive of Google handling the website, Youtubers trying to make money, or as countermeasures to problems that were taken care of by a previous extension. This kind of feels like an arms race…
Edit 1: Changed the YouTube Shorts Block description and added Enhancer for YouTube
I love to see all this fantastic innovation but it’s a shame that most of it is confined to desktop/laptop computers. 95% of my YouTube consumption is on my phone, iPad, and Roku. Those platforms just aren’t extensible in the same ways. It’s too bad because I’m least likely to sit at my gaming PC watching videos.
I will mention that if you go premium, ads are removed on all devices.
Vanced used to be the way to go, but the project isn't being maintained anymore.
Instead, I'd recommend ReVanced. It can be pretty simple to setup. All you need is Vanced MicroG, ReVanced Manager, and a download of the recommended version of the YouTube app from APKMirror. Currently, the recommended version is v18.23.35. (ReVanced Manager will tell you what the recommended version is every time you go to patch YouTube.)
Install Vanced MicroG first. Then install and open ReVanced Manager. Open the "Patch" tab, "Select an application", then select "Storage" and navigate to where the YouTube app you downloaded is located. Then "Select patches", making sure to include the MicroG patch. Then select "Patch", then "Install". You're done!
Bonus tip: After the patch process is complete, before you tap "Install", tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right and select "Export" to export the patched APK in case you run into trouble with the installation itself. That way, you don't have to rerun the whole patching process, and you have a backup.
Edit: It seems [email protected] has a guide you can follow, too, in their Master Post.
Can you install Android apps on the Roku? SmartTubeNext is amazing on Android TV as it has most of these extensions integrated. On the Nvidia Shield TV is works like a charm.
I have a Shield and would like to try this.
You have to side-load it and then it self-updates. I've used this guide https://techmogulchannel.com/tutorial-how-to-install-smarttubenext-to-nvidia-shield-tv/. Do note that SmartTubeNext doesn't support HDR on the Shield but that's fine. If you really want it, just keep both the official Youtube app and SmartTube and switch if you want to watch something in HDR.
Oh thanks. I've marked this as to look into doing on my Shield. Thanks for the tips!
Points 1, 2, 3 and 5 are included in the Youtube Vanced app. If you're using Apple devices that won't really help you though.
Use vinegar for iOS, it makes YouTube in safari a million times better
I use newpipe x sponsorblock on my phone. I have my subscriptions imported and I actually like that I can retain a feed without having to be signed into a google account.
For iPad I got safari with adguard and sponsorblock installed and airplay that to the TV. Does Roku support airplay? So now I get not only blocked ads but segments I want blocked like being asking to like, subscribe, intros, outros, recaps, and sponsored segments.
If you just want to watch youtube on the iPad just use a piped instance which has sponsorblock built in. [email protected]