At the beginning of the month, it was reported that YouTube Vanced was forced to be removed from the store due to regulatory issues., the development team also confirmed that it will not continue. Although it was also mentioned that it should be able to continue to be used for two years (for users who have already installed it), but now that it has been determined that it will not be used in the future, I believe many people are looking for other good alternatives, and SkyTube Extra is an option you can consider. It also has the functions of blocking ads, offline downloads, and background playback. It can also import the YouTube channels you subscribe to for quick integration. I will introduce it to you below.
Introduction to SkyTube Extra, an app that can replace YouTube Vanced
SkyTube is an open source code App. It has two versions: SkyTube and SkyTube Extra. After entering the GitHub website, the introduction page will show you a rough comparison. In short, both versions can block YouTube ads. SkyTube Extra also has the features of offline downloading and Chromecast support, and will check for new updates at any time. Click Download APK to download the APK installation file of SkyTube Extra:
Whenever you download an APK file, this potentially harmful warning pops up:
After downloading, open it to install and click on the lower right corner to install:
The installation is complete, please turn it on:
The homepage will lead to YouTube. I’m not sure how the videos on the special page were selected. Almost all of them are foreign videos. If you want to see popular videos in Taiwan (or your local area), please click “Popular”. You can also notice that there are no ads on the video pages:
Watching the video can be played in the background or in standby, but there will be no controller. If you want to pause or jump to the next movie, you must open the App to control:
What is more noteworthy is the menu in the upper right corner, where you can find the functions of copying the YouTube URL, adding bookmarks, viewing thumbnails, downloading videos offline, etc.:
Downloaded videos will be stored in the “Download Page”:
You can also add the videos you are interested in to your bookmarks for quick viewing in the future:
It also supports importing subscriptions from YouTube and importing backup functions to quickly integrate the YouTube channels you have subscribed to. However, if you are a person who pays great attention to security, please think carefully before using this function. After all, it is a third-party app, and there are still some risks. This is an open-code app, so the risks will be smaller, but there are still:
Overall, SkyTube Extra is an app specifically designed for watching YouTube videos. It has no other extra features and is completely ad-free. It feels pretty good to use. However, I have seen a function for importing videos. I am not sure what it is used for. Interested readers can check it out for themselves.
Finally, I would like to remind you that such third-party apps may follow the footsteps of YouTube Vanced at any time, so the most permanent way is to subscribe to YouTube Premium, which is trouble-free and simple.
Source: KOCPC Chinese