Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/04/17/news-from-the-adblock-v-youtube-warfront.html
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I DO love me some bardcore. My latest fav in the rotation is
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For those of you on Android, you can use a Youtube alternative called NewPipe. You will need to side load the app and change the way Youtube links work to ‘force’ NewPipe to open them. It completely blocks all advertising through Youtube. You can also lock the screen and have the audio still play.
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The only way I’ll watch YouTube on my phone is on the Firefox browser, with uBlock Origin installed on it. Any direct app (esp. the YouTube app) for videos just isn’t worth it anymore.
On my computer is the same way: Firefox with uBlock Origin.
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There’s another Android app you should install: Block-This
It sets up an internal VPN on the phone and uses that to block ALL ads in ALL applications.
It’s not available in the play store. You have to go to their website and download it. Then you have to enable developer options on the phone (which is very simple and takes less than a minute) to be able to install it.
It really does make a difference.
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Same here. I’ve been a Firefox user since it came out. I don’t trust Google or Microsoft to not pull shenanigans.
If you install the TamperMonkey extension, there’s a YoutubeAntiAntiAdblock script you can install that also helps. It replaces the player with an embedded iframe:
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Hell yeah, Firefox for life, baby!
Though I don’t have it on my phone… I should change that…
I got uBlock Origin on my laptops. (chefs kiss)
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There’s a very short list of extensions that you can install on Android Firefox.
Fortunately, uBlock Origin and TamperMonkey are on that list.
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You might win the battle by switching ad blocking software, but this is war and Google will wear down those companies who go against it. Especially since you are probably not paying money to the blocking software. Your only solution is to get away from You Tube. Then maybe a Google will see the error of their ways and reduce the ads you have to see and let the internet be free again. Well at least sort of.
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Unfortunately enshittification doesn’t work that way. YouTube will never get better. At some point it will become such complete shit that people will transition over to a different platform, and the enshittification cycle will start anew. That is our future with tech.
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Thanks! I’m trying it out right now.
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If they had ads that were not obnoxious, I wouldn’t block them. Not obnoxious means just a static image or text with no sound that doesn’t interrupt watching the video at 2x or faster speed.
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Also “not scams”. I had Google Ads whitelisted until so many obvious scams. You can’t vet your ads, I can’t be bothered with them. Going by what I remember of one, this would’ve been back in 1999. I doubt it’s got any better since.
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Boingboing is up there with the worst when it comes to ads. I mean, take one look at this article as it opens on mobile. Also, given that most of their revenue comes from ads (or the painfully unsubtle Shop posts), we are firmly in “I supported the Leopards Eating Faces party, but I never thought they would eat my face!” territory.
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Try Brave browser, a lot cleaner experience here
On Android, I’ve been using the ReVanced project. It’s a system that takes the official youtube app, and patches in a lot of useful features, so that as far as youtube itself is concerned you’re accessing it from an official (if sometimes outdated) app. Not just actual ad blocking, but SponsorBlock integration as well, and dozens of other really neat and useful modifications. And each of them finely controllable, so you’re not forced to use “someone else’s idea of better”; you can have a close to vanilla process too.
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I tried it, but I don’t use it and haven’t in some years.
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I use a JavaScript filter in FireFox (NoScript is my favorite) to essentially ad-block.
For YouTube, the only domains you need to watch videos are youtube.com and googlevideo.com. Allowing just those domains enables video without the ads. This works on the YouTube site or any site with embedded videos.
This method works to ad-block for most domains. Just allow the primary domain of the website to serve JavaScript but not the third party ad services.
It also works for some pay-walled websites, to view articles.
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NewPipe is available on F-Droid.
F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.
I really recommend using it, not only for NewPipe but for all the FOSS software catalogued there. The client works as an app store and show notifications when software installed by id have updates.
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This. Never use an app for anything you can do in the browser.
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