How to watch YouTube videos without ads on Android and without Vanced

What are the alternatives to YouTube Vanced now that the service is doomed?

YouTube Vanced was a very popular modified version of the YouTube app that gave access to some features not found in the free version of YouTube, as well as some pretty interesting ones like themes and some controls. The main reasons for its popularity were certainly ad blocker integration, download for offline playback, picture-in-picture and background playback. So many options available through the YouTube Premium subscription for €11.99. Therefore, it is very popular in the Android community, but now it is all history.

And although Google asked Vanced to stop its activities, this does not mean that YouTube cannot be watched without ads and with background playback, for example. There are many other options.

(Note: if you have the Vanced app installed on your device, the app will continue to work for a while.)

A few words about YouTube Premium

We’ll take a look at the “real”alternatives to Vanced below, but first let’s touch on YouTube Premium. Yes, the service is offered for €11.99 per month, but it removes ads on all your devices. Your TV, your computer, your Android smartphone, everywhere. And it gives you access to features like background playback or picture-in-picture mode.

If you can afford it, you also support content creators. And if you choose the family offer for €17.99 per month, you can split the bill with up to five other users.

Best Alternatives to YouTube Vanced

But if you can’t or don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, you can always use modified apps from YouTube or third-party clients that provide a similar experience to YouTube Vanced.

NewPipe

NewPipe is an unmodified version of the YouTube app like Vanced. It is an independent, free and open source player for YouTube. Lightweight but with many interesting features: no ads, background playback and picture-in-picture. This is an app that I have been using for several years now.

Like Vanced, NewPipe is not available on the Play Store, you need to download the APK directly from their website or go through the F-Droid app store which hosts a large number of free and open source apps.

SkyTube

Another free and open source third-party client application for YouTube, such as NewPipe. With the same basic features like removing ads and playing in the background.

The only downside is that you can only watch videos. Can’t connect to his YouTube account, in other words, can’t sync playback between devices. The app has its own channel subscription and bookmarking feature.

uBlock Origin for Firefox

One obvious reason to use Firefox instead of Google Chrome on Android is the extension directory. If you install uBlock Origin, you will be able to watch YouTube ad-free in your browser. Direction Menu > Extensions, then activate uBlock Origin.

Flaw? No features such as download.

bold browser

Vanced itself recommends using the Brave browser to watch ad-free YouTube videos on Android. The app has a built-in ad blocker, and if you’ve enabled the Shields Up feature for the YouTube site, you’re good to go.

Use a VPN ad blocker

You can also use an ad-free VPN on your Android smartphone. This will prevent ads from being downloaded to your device and protect you from online tracking. Vanced suggests using Adguard, but you can use any VPN ad blocker for that.