{"slug": "newpipe", "name": "NewPipe", "category": "media", "category_name": "Media and creative", "description": "Open-source Android client for YouTube with background play and downloads, needing no Google account.", "recommenders": 14, "commenters": 19, "warners": 2, "score": 11.85, "rising": 4.71, "first": "2025-11-13", "latest": "2026-10-12", "why": "Recommended as an ad-free YouTube client for Android that offers background playback, downloads, and subscriptions and playlists without a Google account.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 14, "neutral": 3, "compare": 0, "warn": 2}, "spark": [0, 1, 2, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 4, 2], "listed": true, "loved": ["Ad-free YouTube", "Better than official"], "caveat": "Bugs", "short_quote": "NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://newpipe.net", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["NewPipe"], "verdict": [{"text": "Recommended as an ad-free YouTube client for Android", "cites": [{"id": 800370194, "item_id": 50023137, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50023137", "by": "burnedbyhell", "date": "2026-10-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well.", "excerpt": "The basic install of Kodi on LibreELEC blocks the ads on YouTube. I left Roku after using it for a long time, and the experience with Kodi is far better. Simple setup, too. For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well. Might not work for everyone but I never see an ad on YouTube.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile without ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sorry, I'm in a meeting"}, {"id": 739031331, "item_id": 46189458, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46189458", "by": "pmontra", "date": "2025-12-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Mobile: Blockada to prevent apps from reaching their ad servers. NewPipe.", "excerpt": "Desktop and mobile: Firefox and uBlock Origin. Mobile: Blockada to prevent apps from reaching their ad servers. NewPipe. Desktop: Freetube. uBO has the bonus to have an element picker that I use to remove the empty areas where ads would show. I do it for sites that I use often. I also remove some useless menus and headers. I particularly hate sticky ones.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I block all online ads"}, {"id": 760840913, "item_id": 47552557, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47552557", "by": "cyberclimb", "date": "2026-03-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can also look at NewPipe on Android if you want an alternative YouTube app", "excerpt": "I use this extension on desktop and Firefox mobile to block shorts. They also support chrome (idk about chrome mobile). https://github.com/Vulpelo/hide-youtube-shorts?tab=readme-ov-file#installation You can also look at NewPipe on Android if you want an alternative YouTube app rather than web mode. Needless to say it's a real shame you have to work this hard to hide shorts...", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial"}, {"id": 744442257, "item_id": 46527641, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46527641", "by": "SockThief", "date": "2026-01-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use New Pipe for that.", "excerpt": "https://blokada.org/ Blokada 5 is free. It blocks ads and trackers system wide. It works in all games and apps I checked for the last 4-5 years. Used to work with YouTube as well, but not any more. I use New Pipe for that. You're experience may vary depending on block lists you subscribe to, but vanilla set up is already quite good.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without ads", "switched_from": "Blokada", "story": "Vienam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds"}]}, {"text": " that offers background playback, downloads, and subscriptions and playlists without a Google account.", "cites": [{"id": 800370194, "item_id": 50023137, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50023137", "by": "burnedbyhell", "date": "2026-10-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well.", "excerpt": "The basic install of Kodi on LibreELEC blocks the ads on YouTube. I left Roku after using it for a long time, and the experience with Kodi is far better. Simple setup, too. For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well. Might not work for everyone but I never see an ad on YouTube.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile without ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sorry, I'm in a meeting"}, {"id": 743608960, "item_id": 46475560, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46475560", "by": "kh_hk", "date": "2026-01-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Install newpipe on your phone and an audio player (phocid).", "excerpt": "Install newpipe on your phone and an audio player (phocid). Whenever you want to listen to something in particular download it through newpipe instead. Yes, I listen to music ripped from YouTube. On my computer I use deadbeef to play the random collection of mp3 that have survived the passage of time", "context": "", "use_case": "downloading music from YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How to go back to listening to MP3s?"}, {"id": 797740352, "item_id": 49858772, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858772", "by": "crtasm", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.", "excerpt": "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube without account", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 788981776, "item_id": 49311361, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49311361", "by": "WickyNilliams", "date": "2026-08-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app.", "excerpt": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app. I love that you can still have \"subscriptions\", playlists etc without an account. Set it as the default app for youtube.com and related domains and you'll never look back", "context": "Android user", "use_case": "YouTube frontend on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin"}]}, {"text": " The most common complaint is bugs and breakage when YouTube changes its API", "cites": [{"id": 797768019, "item_id": 49860501, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49860501", "by": "ciefa", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "NewPipe was so buggy for me in the past, I've avoided it.", "excerpt": "Nowadays I use Morphe for Youtube and Reddit. Seal Plus for downloading and VLC to play downloaded videos. NewPipe was so buggy for me in the past, I've avoided it. Did it get better? Any reason to use it over Morphe?", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 752401808, "item_id": 47025113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025113", "by": "villgax", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I used to use this & just ended up paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs", "excerpt": "I used to use this & just ended up paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs & risking any IP associated with our google accounts lest Sundar wakes up on the wrong side of the bed", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed"}, {"id": 797330496, "item_id": 49833156, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49833156", "by": "greeniskool", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube.", "excerpt": "Counterpoint: I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube. One day, YT introduced an API change that broke NewPipe, and so I patiently waited for an update. A few days passed, and I eventually get a notification from NewPipe prompting for an update. But I can't install it just yet, because of mismatching signatures between the F-Droid and GitHub versions (yes, that's the point, I know...). The F-Droid build ", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}]}, {"text": ", and some worry Google's sideloading restrictions will block it.", "cites": [{"id": 792431696, "item_id": 49526981, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49526981", "by": "lapalapa", "date": "2026-09-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "excerpt": "The problem is till when. In September all apps non authorized by Google will be removed from Android phones. NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "PureTube: No ads on YouTube"}, {"id": 777043730, "item_id": 48565233, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48565233", "by": "aussieguy1234", "date": "2026-06-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly.", "excerpt": "With Google making side loading extremely difficult soon, there's never been a better time to switch to a more secure OS for your phone. There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly. All would get blocked under Googles new regime.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Ad-free YouTube", "summary": "Commenters use it to watch YouTube without ads.", "quotes": [{"id": 800370194, "item_id": 50023137, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50023137", "by": "burnedbyhell", "date": "2026-10-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well.", "excerpt": "The basic install of Kodi on LibreELEC blocks the ads on YouTube. I left Roku after using it for a long time, and the experience with Kodi is far better. Simple setup, too. For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well. Might not work for everyone but I never see an ad on YouTube.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile without ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sorry, I'm in a meeting"}, {"id": 800882066, "item_id": 50055129, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055129", "by": "hilbert42", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Using NewPipe and sponsor block on PipePipe increases privacy and makes YouTube ad free.", "excerpt": "My default is to run without JS and selectively enable it when absolutely necessary, so when I clicked on this story the page was prefaced with the following comment: \"You're protected from the methods I use here. You disabled JavaScript, so this fingerprinting trick can't run at all. You're still vulnerable to network-based methods. Read on to see what it does to everyone else. From now on I\u2019ll call you:\u2026\" I've run ", "context": "runs without JS by default", "use_case": "ad-free YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fingerprints are the new cookies"}, {"id": 744442257, "item_id": 46527641, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46527641", "by": "SockThief", "date": "2026-01-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use New Pipe for that.", "excerpt": "https://blokada.org/ Blokada 5 is free. It blocks ads and trackers system wide. It works in all games and apps I checked for the last 4-5 years. Used to work with YouTube as well, but not any more. I use New Pipe for that. You're experience may vary depending on block lists you subscribe to, but vanilla set up is already quite good.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without ads", "switched_from": "Blokada", "story": "Vienam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds"}]}, {"label": "Better than official", "summary": "Some call it better than YouTube's own app, even apart from ad blocking.", "quotes": [{"id": 797830256, "item_id": 49864391, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49864391", "by": "cuvert", "date": "2026-09-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it was a better app than Youtube's official app", "excerpt": "You are right. In my subscription list, around 15 channels, there are a few channels who offer patreon subscriptions for 1-2 euros. In my opinion more channels should try to offer this. I don't think they get that much from ads/premium user view. About NewPipe, which I've tried it in the past, I have to say it was a better app than Youtube's official app, and I'm not talking about the fact it was blocking ads. For ex", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 792431696, "item_id": 49526981, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49526981", "by": "lapalapa", "date": "2026-09-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "excerpt": "The problem is till when. In September all apps non authorized by Google will be removed from Android phones. NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "PureTube: No ads on YouTube"}, {"id": 788981776, "item_id": 49311361, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49311361", "by": "WickyNilliams", "date": "2026-08-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app.", "excerpt": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app. I love that you can still have \"subscriptions\", playlists etc without an account. Set it as the default app for youtube.com and related domains and you'll never look back", "context": "Android user", "use_case": "YouTube frontend on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin"}]}, {"label": "No account needed", "summary": "Subscriptions and playlists work without a YouTube account.", "quotes": [{"id": 797740352, "item_id": 49858772, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858772", "by": "crtasm", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.", "excerpt": "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube without account", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 788981776, "item_id": 49311361, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49311361", "by": "WickyNilliams", "date": "2026-08-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app.", "excerpt": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app. I love that you can still have \"subscriptions\", playlists etc without an account. Set it as the default app for youtube.com and related domains and you'll never look back", "context": "Android user", "use_case": "YouTube frontend on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin"}]}, {"label": "Background and downloads", "summary": "It allows background playback and downloading videos or audio.", "quotes": [{"id": 800370194, "item_id": 50023137, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50023137", "by": "burnedbyhell", "date": "2026-10-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well.", "excerpt": "The basic install of Kodi on LibreELEC blocks the ads on YouTube. I left Roku after using it for a long time, and the experience with Kodi is far better. Simple setup, too. For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well. Might not work for everyone but I never see an ad on YouTube.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile without ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sorry, I'm in a meeting"}, {"id": 743608960, "item_id": 46475560, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46475560", "by": "kh_hk", "date": "2026-01-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Install newpipe on your phone and an audio player (phocid).", "excerpt": "Install newpipe on your phone and an audio player (phocid). Whenever you want to listen to something in particular download it through newpipe instead. Yes, I listen to music ripped from YouTube. On my computer I use deadbeef to play the random collection of mp3 that have survived the passage of time", "context": "", "use_case": "downloading music from YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How to go back to listening to MP3s?"}]}, {"label": "Daily driver", "summary": "Several users rely on it regularly as an essential app.", "quotes": [{"id": 797330496, "item_id": 49833156, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49833156", "by": "greeniskool", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube.", "excerpt": "Counterpoint: I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube. One day, YT introduced an API change that broke NewPipe, and so I patiently waited for an update. A few days passed, and I eventually get a notification from NewPipe prompting for an update. But I can't install it just yet, because of mismatching signatures between the F-Droid and GitHub versions (yes, that's the point, I know...). The F-Droid build ", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 777043730, "item_id": 48565233, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48565233", "by": "aussieguy1234", "date": "2026-06-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly.", "excerpt": "With Google making side loading extremely difficult soon, there's never been a better time to switch to a more secure OS for your phone. There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly. All would get blocked under Googles new regime.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}]}, {"label": "Privacy", "summary": "Recommended as a way to watch YouTube with more privacy.", "quotes": [{"id": 800882066, "item_id": 50055129, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055129", "by": "hilbert42", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Using NewPipe and sponsor block on PipePipe increases privacy and makes YouTube ad free.", "excerpt": "My default is to run without JS and selectively enable it when absolutely necessary, so when I clicked on this story the page was prefaced with the following comment: \"You're protected from the methods I use here. You disabled JavaScript, so this fingerprinting trick can't run at all. You're still vulnerable to network-based methods. Read on to see what it does to everyone else. From now on I\u2019ll call you:\u2026\" I've run ", "context": "runs without JS by default", "use_case": "ad-free YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fingerprints are the new cookies"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Bugs", "summary": "Some users found it buggy enough to switch to other apps or YouTube Premium.", "quotes": [{"id": 797768019, "item_id": 49860501, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49860501", "by": "ciefa", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "NewPipe was so buggy for me in the past, I've avoided it.", "excerpt": "Nowadays I use Morphe for Youtube and Reddit. Seal Plus for downloading and VLC to play downloaded videos. NewPipe was so buggy for me in the past, I've avoided it. Did it get better? Any reason to use it over Morphe?", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 752401808, "item_id": 47025113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025113", "by": "villgax", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I used to use this & just ended up paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs", "excerpt": "I used to use this & just ended up paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs & risking any IP associated with our google accounts lest Sundar wakes up on the wrong side of the bed", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed"}]}, {"label": "API breakage", "summary": "YouTube changes can break it until an update ships, and F-Droid builds can lag behind GitHub releases.", "quotes": [{"id": 797330496, "item_id": 49833156, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49833156", "by": "greeniskool", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube.", "excerpt": "Counterpoint: I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube. One day, YT introduced an API change that broke NewPipe, and so I patiently waited for an update. A few days passed, and I eventually get a notification from NewPipe prompting for an update. But I can't install it just yet, because of mismatching signatures between the F-Droid and GitHub versions (yes, that's the point, I know...). The F-Droid build ", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}]}, {"label": "Sideloading future", "summary": "Commenters worry Google's sideloading restrictions could block it on Android.", "quotes": [{"id": 792431696, "item_id": 49526981, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49526981", "by": "lapalapa", "date": "2026-09-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "excerpt": "The problem is till when. In September all apps non authorized by Google will be removed from Android phones. NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "PureTube: No ads on YouTube"}, {"id": 777043730, "item_id": 48565233, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48565233", "by": "aussieguy1234", "date": "2026-06-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly.", "excerpt": "With Google making side loading extremely difficult soon, there's never been a better time to switch to a more secure OS for your phone. There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly. All would get blocked under Googles new regime.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}, {"id": 734698657, "item_id": 45918666, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45918666", "by": "AdmiralAsshat", "date": "2025-11-13", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "installed NewPipe, and then toggled back off the system-level sideloading setting. NewPipe still works", "excerpt": "In light of Google's recent push to eliminate this, I went and installed F-Droid to see what we'd be losing. I had thought about it for years, but always held off on doing it on my daily driver phone because I simply didn't want to open the floodgates on allowing apps to start randomly installing on my phone. But having done it, I'm actually pretty impressed with the existing security. At least on my S24, you have to", "context": "Samsung S24 user", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android developer verification: Early access starts"}]}, {"label": "No SponsorBlock", "summary": "It lacks SponsorBlock, so some use the PipePipe fork instead.", "quotes": [{"id": 797811889, "item_id": 49863243, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49863243", "by": "DanOpcode", "date": "2026-09-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I have been using NewPipe for a while", "excerpt": "Nice! Have installed it now. I have been using NewPipe for a while, but was missing SponsorBlock and had read that the NewPipe developer didn't want to add it. So this seems great!", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 800882066, "item_id": 50055129, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055129", "by": "hilbert42", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Using NewPipe and sponsor block on PipePipe increases privacy and makes YouTube ad free.", "excerpt": "My default is to run without JS and selectively enable it when absolutely necessary, so when I clicked on this story the page was prefaced with the following comment: \"You're protected from the methods I use here. You disabled JavaScript, so this fingerprinting trick can't run at all. You're still vulnerable to network-based methods. Read on to see what it does to everyone else. From now on I\u2019ll call you:\u2026\" I've run ", "context": "runs without JS by default", "use_case": "ad-free YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fingerprints are the new cookies"}]}], "who": [{"by": "hilbert42", "context": "runs without JS by default", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055129", "date": "2026-10-12"}, {"by": "WickyNilliams", "context": "Android user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49311361", "date": "2026-08-15"}, {"by": "AdmiralAsshat", "context": "Samsung S24 user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45918666", "date": "2025-11-13"}], "tags": ["for Android users", "no account needed", "for de-Googled phones", "on F-Droid", "open source"], "use_cases": ["youtube client", "watching youtube", "ad-free youtube", "youtube on mobile without ads", "youtube without account", "youtube frontend on android"], "compared": [{"slug": "pipepipe", "name": "PipePipe", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "blokada", "name": "Blokada", "co": 2, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "youtube-premium", "name": "YouTube Premium", "co": 1, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "grapheneos", "name": "GrapheneOS", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "brave", "name": "Brave", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "vlc", "name": "VLC", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "f-droid", "name": "F-Droid", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49842764", "title": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50048642", "title": "Fingerprints are the new cookies", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50018088", "title": "Sorry, I'm in a meeting", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49831968", "title": "F-Droid 2.0", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49525184", "title": "PureTube: No ads on YouTube", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49303202", "title": "Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-02": {"warn": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 4, "warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 2}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800882066, "item_id": 50055129, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055129", "by": "hilbert42", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Using NewPipe and sponsor block on PipePipe increases privacy and makes YouTube ad free.", "excerpt": "My default is to run without JS and selectively enable it when absolutely necessary, so when I clicked on this story the page was prefaced with the following comment: \"You're protected from the methods I use here. You disabled JavaScript, so this fingerprinting trick can't run at all. You're still vulnerable to network-based methods. Read on to see what it does to everyone else. From now on I\u2019ll call you:\u2026\" I've run ", "context": "runs without JS by default", "use_case": "ad-free YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fingerprints are the new cookies"}, {"id": 800370194, "item_id": 50023137, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50023137", "by": "burnedbyhell", "date": "2026-10-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well.", "excerpt": "The basic install of Kodi on LibreELEC blocks the ads on YouTube. I left Roku after using it for a long time, and the experience with Kodi is far better. Simple setup, too. For mobile, I use NewPipe which allows background YouTube as well. Might not work for everyone but I never see an ad on YouTube.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile without ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sorry, I'm in a meeting"}, {"id": 797830256, "item_id": 49864391, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49864391", "by": "cuvert", "date": "2026-09-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it was a better app than Youtube's official app", "excerpt": "You are right. In my subscription list, around 15 channels, there are a few channels who offer patreon subscriptions for 1-2 euros. In my opinion more channels should try to offer this. I don't think they get that much from ads/premium user view. About NewPipe, which I've tried it in the past, I have to say it was a better app than Youtube's official app, and I'm not talking about the fact it was blocking ads. For ex", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 797811889, "item_id": 49863243, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49863243", "by": "DanOpcode", "date": "2026-09-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I have been using NewPipe for a while", "excerpt": "Nice! Have installed it now. I have been using NewPipe for a while, but was missing SponsorBlock and had read that the NewPipe developer didn't want to add it. So this seems great!", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 797768019, "item_id": 49860501, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49860501", "by": "ciefa", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "NewPipe was so buggy for me in the past, I've avoided it.", "excerpt": "Nowadays I use Morphe for Youtube and Reddit. Seal Plus for downloading and VLC to play downloaded videos. NewPipe was so buggy for me in the past, I've avoided it. Did it get better? Any reason to use it over Morphe?", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 797740352, "item_id": 49858772, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858772", "by": "crtasm", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.", "excerpt": "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube without account", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 797330496, "item_id": 49833156, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49833156", "by": "greeniskool", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube.", "excerpt": "Counterpoint: I use NewPipe pretty much daily for watching YouTube. One day, YT introduced an API change that broke NewPipe, and so I patiently waited for an update. A few days passed, and I eventually get a notification from NewPipe prompting for an update. But I can't install it just yet, because of mismatching signatures between the F-Droid and GitHub versions (yes, that's the point, I know...). The F-Droid build ", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 792431696, "item_id": 49526981, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49526981", "by": "lapalapa", "date": "2026-09-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "excerpt": "The problem is till when. In September all apps non authorized by Google will be removed from Android phones. NewPipe is one of them, the best app for Yt video watching.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "PureTube: No ads on YouTube"}, {"id": 788981776, "item_id": 49311361, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49311361", "by": "WickyNilliams", "date": "2026-08-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app.", "excerpt": "Second recommendation for newpipe. Fantastic app. I love that you can still have \"subscriptions\", playlists etc without an account. Set it as the default app for youtube.com and related domains and you'll never look back", "context": "Android user", "use_case": "YouTube frontend on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin"}, {"id": 784617601, "item_id": 49038600, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49038600", "by": "eks391", "date": "2026-07-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NewPipe (the nonaddictive YouTube)", "excerpt": "If you have an iPhone, you can put the greyscale as only a percentage greyscale if desired. I got an iPhone to get rid of the constant bothering from the apple devotees and quickly found myself spending an unhealthy amount of time on it. I started with a small percent greyscale so I didn't notice and would forget that the colors were dulled. Before I even got to 50% greyscale, my habit had died and I only use it when", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "It's getting harder to focus every day"}, {"id": 777043730, "item_id": 48565233, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48565233", "by": "aussieguy1234", "date": "2026-06-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly.", "excerpt": "With Google making side loading extremely difficult soon, there's never been a better time to switch to a more secure OS for your phone. There are some apps I can't do without like ReThink DNS, NewPipe and other open source apps which I use regularly. All would get blocked under Googles new regime.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}, {"id": 775956817, "item_id": 48497301, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48497301", "by": "joe_mamba", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "youtube via newpipe", "excerpt": "My powerful Android tablet is limited to 72mbps link due to a quirk with the way the XDA developer implemented wifi support on the lineageos branch of my tablet, meaning the device can't see the region specific 5ghz band of the modem of my ISP is outputting, so it can only connect to the 2,4ghz band of that SSID meaning it's stuck to 72mbps. And despite this, it works ok for what I used it: Brave web browsing, youtub", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube viewing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Developer Gets Half-Life Running at 30 FPS on a Nokia N95"}, {"id": 760840913, "item_id": 47552557, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47552557", "by": "cyberclimb", "date": "2026-03-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can also look at NewPipe on Android if you want an alternative YouTube app", "excerpt": "I use this extension on desktop and Firefox mobile to block shorts. They also support chrome (idk about chrome mobile). https://github.com/Vulpelo/hide-youtube-shorts?tab=readme-ov-file#installation You can also look at NewPipe on Android if you want an alternative YouTube app rather than web mode. Needless to say it's a real shame you have to work this hard to hide shorts...", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial"}, {"id": 752744327, "item_id": 47046520, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47046520", "by": "sandreas", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Newpipe - Youtube Client", "excerpt": "I personally tend to own two Phones. One all-day carry GrapheneOS device (Pixel 8) and an older WiFi and at home only iPhone for all payment and ensurance stuff. This is inconvenient in some ways, but at least it is sort of privacy as good as it gets while still being able to run official apps when I need them at home. To de-google the phone, I use F-Droid as primary App store, Aurora as fallback for non-f-droid Apps", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple"}, {"id": 752401808, "item_id": 47025113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025113", "by": "villgax", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I used to use this & just ended up paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs", "excerpt": "I used to use this & just ended up paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs & risking any IP associated with our google accounts lest Sundar wakes up on the wrong side of the bed", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed"}, {"id": 744442257, "item_id": 46527641, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46527641", "by": "SockThief", "date": "2026-01-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use New Pipe for that.", "excerpt": "https://blokada.org/ Blokada 5 is free. It blocks ads and trackers system wide. It works in all games and apps I checked for the last 4-5 years. Used to work with YouTube as well, but not any more. I use New Pipe for that. You're experience may vary depending on block lists you subscribe to, but vanilla set up is already quite good.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without ads", "switched_from": "Blokada", "story": "Vienam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds"}, {"id": 743608960, "item_id": 46475560, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46475560", "by": "kh_hk", "date": "2026-01-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Install newpipe on your phone and an audio player (phocid).", "excerpt": "Install newpipe on your phone and an audio player (phocid). Whenever you want to listen to something in particular download it through newpipe instead. Yes, I listen to music ripped from YouTube. On my computer I use deadbeef to play the random collection of mp3 that have survived the passage of time", "context": "", "use_case": "downloading music from YouTube", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How to go back to listening to MP3s?"}, {"id": 739031331, "item_id": 46189458, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46189458", "by": "pmontra", "date": "2025-12-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Mobile: Blockada to prevent apps from reaching their ad servers. NewPipe.", "excerpt": "Desktop and mobile: Firefox and uBlock Origin. Mobile: Blockada to prevent apps from reaching their ad servers. NewPipe. Desktop: Freetube. uBO has the bonus to have an element picker that I use to remove the empty areas where ads would show. I do it for sites that I use often. I also remove some useless menus and headers. I particularly hate sticky ones.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube on mobile", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I block all online ads"}, {"id": 734698657, "item_id": 45918666, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45918666", "by": "AdmiralAsshat", "date": "2025-11-13", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "installed NewPipe, and then toggled back off the system-level sideloading setting. NewPipe still works", "excerpt": "In light of Google's recent push to eliminate this, I went and installed F-Droid to see what we'd be losing. I had thought about it for years, but always held off on doing it on my daily driver phone because I simply didn't want to open the floodgates on allowing apps to start randomly installing on my phone. But having done it, I'm actually pretty impressed with the existing security. At least on my S24, you have to", "context": "Samsung S24 user", "use_case": "YouTube client", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android developer verification: Early access starts"}]}