YouTube Vanced will be shutting down, after legal threat. The popular app is being discontinued after years of being available on the Android platform. Released first in 2018, YouTube Vanced is a sideloadable Android app that allows users to block ads, skip sponsored content, use a dark theme layout, and other useful tweaks, including bringing back the recently removed dislike button, bypassing the need for YouTube Premium. That combined with its popularity is likely why Google went after the project, serving them with a cease and desist. The Vanced team announced that due to "legal reasons", they'll be removing links to download the app from their website, and work on the project will be discontinued.

Existing installs of YouTube Vanced should still work for the foreseeable future, until Google makes significant changes to YouTube that would render the app useless.

Vanced has been discontinued. In the coming days, the download links on the website will be taken down. We know this is not something you wanted to hear but it's something we need to do. Thank you all for supporting us over the years.

— Vanced Official (@YTVanced) March 13, 2022

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[K3Nv4]

No one really should be surprised by this it sucks personally if Premium was $5 monthly more people would probably buy into it instead of needing to go the 3rd party route. When I had the trial it was so nice not seeing ads though they never really bothered me I don't have much of an issues waiting 4 seconds it's the 20 minute ads that are annoying plus skipping ads have seemed to be buggy lately when casting videos through chromecast.

 

[samedifference]

I'd love to see someone eventually fight back against Google destroying software like this (along with the numerous Discord bots that were also shutdown) and see how far they can go legally. Granted, it would be expensive to fight against Google in court.

 

[Jayro]

I will do whatever it takes to block every ad on every platform. I already pay for internet access, and quite a good amount. So I'm not going to let all these "services" nickel and dime me like YouTube premium. Newpipe needs to step their game up.

 

[gudenau]

Fun fact, they can remotely uninstall or disable this (if installed as a system application) with their "Google Services" package.

 

[64bitmodels]

Vanced shouldn't have to exist if the features it provided were available either for free or at a reasonable price. £12 per month for no ads and a fraction of the features it provided is a terrible option from Google.

to be frank, how the heck is google supposed to make cash from YT without ads?

 

[Tomato123]

to be frank, how the heck is google supposed to make cash from YT without ads?

You're missing what I was saying. I'm not saying get rid of ads as obviously that wouldn't work. What I was trying to say is that certain features just should already be a thing in the normal app and the price they charge is ridiculous to disable the ads. I would happily pay if I had access to the features of Vanced at a more reasonable price.

 

[SonyUSA]

Vanced Manager seems to still be working, I just updated YouTube/YT Music/Vanced MicroG just fine. Want to make sure I have the latest version before it dies... hopefully some shadow group will take over and make private releases!

Newpipe is an alternative but it's just... not good...

 

[K3Nv4]

to be frank, how the heck is google supposed to make cash from YT without ads?

Google would not loose any money if they abandoned ads the ones that would be loosing money is the creators themselves. Google already has billions from products, in app purchases search engines and what not. Ads help with their extra income but it also goes towards Mr. Beast being able to release a new squid games before Netflix does. So yeah they wouldn't go broke they'd loose alot sure but I believe they have enough to manage.

 

[SonyUSA]

Oh no... this means Smart Tube Next is going away also? That was like the best app to sideload onto FireTV >=(((

now i angy

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Nooo. That's like one of my favorite apps ever. I can't stand ads and sponsors. It's always the same shit, and never something I'm interested in.

I hope that someone will pick up where they left off as I don't know if I could live without ad blocking and SponsorBlock.

 

[Kopimist]

Google's the apk for this and installs it in protest lol

 

[Deleted member 397813]

google when an indie developer makes a product better than theirs

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

* takes a peek at stadia *

Okay.

 

[Darth Meteos]

I loved it for being able to watch videos in the background, something that should not be paywalled.
Fuck's sake, Google is a piece of shit.

 

[Jiehfeng]

I hope the code gets leaked and is kept open-sourced/updated.

That would be worse though, you don't get stolen code in open source projects.

 

[godreborn]

Fuck you, Google.
One more reason why I debloat your shit from all my devices.

Anyone has a comprehensive list of other possible options for Vanced on mobile?
What about Android boxes with SmartTube?

I can't guarantee this will get you anywhere, but I just recently started using ad guard with google chrome, since I don't really want to change browsers (use firefox on the pc though). anyway, I haven't seen an ad yet with temp (haven't tried youtube), but I had to disable it for gmail considering my hotmail account wouldn't go through otherwise. I'm not sure why you're forced into those accounts with anything xbox related. I don't know if it works for youtube, I was just tired of replying to a thread while at a doctor's appointment, then it cancelling out of the box, me hitting an ad, then going back and having to retype everything over again. I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon today/tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I'll make it, if I can't go to sleep that is.

 

[Kopimist]

I found an apk that still works. Probably shouldn't link to it here though. Google is your friend . Just be Leary of the source as there are a lot of dodgy sites out there

 

[tabzer]

That would be worse though, you don't get stolen code in open source projects.

I'm not familiar with how they did the coding. I just assumed it was a wrapper.

 

[Xzi]

Blame everyone and their fucking dog for parroting how wonderful this app was for bypassing premium. Even some mainstream news sites were parroting it for clickbait

Nah I'm still gonna blame Google, there's no legitimate C&D claim to be made here. Fuckers took Youtube features that used to be free and stuck them behind a paywall.

 

[godreborn]

Nah I'm still gonna blame Google, there's no legitimate C&D claim to be made here. Fuckers took Youtube features that used to be free and stuck them behind a paywall.

hold on. let me just sit here with my thumb up my ass waiting for this ad to finish. okay, what were you saying?