Recently, YouTube’s popular third-party mod app YouTube Vanced was closed down by the developer. This was because Google sent a cease and desist letter against the app post which the team at YouTube decided to shut down the app and take down all the download links. This news is saddening for thousands of users who loved to use the app for watching videos and playing background audio.
About YouTube Vanced
YouTube Vanced has been a companion for Android users for years allowing them to watch YouTube videos without any ads, play background audio, and other premium features. Vanced is a YouTube premium version clone app that allowed streaming videos ad-free and in the background.
On 13th March 2022 developers announced that the app will be shut down but will continue to function for users who have already installed it. In the future, it will stop functioning as it won’t receive any updates. The official Twitter handle confirmed the news.
If you are a YouTube Vanced user and want alternatives to the app, dive in to see what options you have.
1. LibreTube
It is an upcoming YouTube client based on privacy-friendly YouTube frontend Piped. The app has a modern design and offers intuitive animations during navigation. There are fine-tuned controls to pick the video quality and format during playback and the same options are available when downloading videos offline.
Currently, LibreTube is in beta so you might find bugs. During the testing period, a few glitches have been seen, but the app is expected to improve over time. It is a free and open-source YouTube client, has no ads, and is based on piped. The only issue is that it can’t be logged into with a Google account.
2. NewPipe
NewPipe offers premium features like play content in the background, ad-free video streaming, an option to download the videos, and picture-in-picture mode. It is not linked to Google you can’t play content from the middle and the UI will take some time to get used to. It provides free access to all the videos on Android smartphones.
3. Kiwi Browser
It is a nonapp option for users as Kiwi Browser is built on the Chromium engine like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. It can support web extensions that can be installed to stream ad-free videos, and you get to sign in to your account for other features like sync watch history and comments, etc.
4. SkyTube
SkyTube offers its services without having to sign in to your Google ID. The content will be ad-free and users can subscribe to the channels, create a playlist as well and even block the channels which you don’t want to see on the feed.
5. UBlock Origin
UBlock Origin allows you to sign in to your Google Account so you can retrieve your browsing history and have the ability to comment on the videos. This can be tried out on the Firefox browser for the ad-free version.
6. YouTube Premium
The best video-watching experience is offered by YouTube itself. The official YouTube app gives the smoothest and fastest experience while consuming content. Subscribing to YouTube Premium will get rid of all the ads, unlock premium content and allow you to watch picture-in-picture mode. The pricing is also affordable with special family plans.
7. YMusic
YMusic is closer to YouTube than many other alternatives. On this app, one can stream music, without ads and in the background as well. It also gives you a download option.
Although there has been no concrete revelation about why Google sent a notice to the Vanced app but it is possible that YouTube Premium has a lot of royalty content and thus the company wanted to avoid any legal issues in the future from publishers or music studios.
FAQs about Vanced
1. Is it illegal to use modified YouTube versions?
Using modified YouTube versions is against YouTube’s Terms of Service but still, the legal repercussions are often on the developers than the users.
2. Which is the best YouTube Vanced alternative for Android?
NewPipe is one of the best alternatives for Vanced. It is free, open source, and has a modern interface without any ads.
