I am an avid music fan and I am one of those people who prefer to videos to audio tracks. When it comes to music videos YouTube has no equal. Naturally for most people that would mean you launching the official YouTube app which kind of sucks in a number of ways.
The many failings of the Official YouTube App
Prior to September 2018, the official app’s capital offence was that it didn’t have a dark mode. Google have since introduced a dark mode which you can enable under General settings it’s better than nothing but for me it’s not dark enough. Besides what if you want a pink or blue mode?
Then there are other crimes:
- You cannot switch off ads even if you are inundated with stupid irrelevant ads. My IP address due to AFRINIC delays still sometimes gives my location as SA. I am bombarded with South African ads all day if I use the official app.
- There is no background play if you minimise the app. This requires YouTube premium which is not available in Zimbabwe.
- You cannot force HDR mode
- You cannot override the playback maximum resolution. Normally the official YouTube app does a good job of detecting your maximum resolution but sometimes it gets this wrong.
- Picture in Picture mode on older versions of Android
Fortunately there is YouTube Vanced
This is where YouTube Vanced comes in and sweeps you off your feet. It comes with all the features that the official app does not have plus more. This is a modded app so naturally this is where I issue a disclaimer and tell you that if you destroy your device following this guide it’s entirely your fault not mine.
How to install YouTube Vanced
Like some good things Youtube Vanced is not available in the Play Store. You can however follow these instructions if you want to install it.
- Go to the YouTube Vanced App’s website
- Click on downloads
- Unless you have rooted phone, in which case you will most likely know what to do anyway, select the Non-root version
- Select your preferred APK, I suggest you go with the White/Black version
- Install the APK on your device
- Download the MicroG APK from the same website, you will not be able to login unless you install microG. Another thing to note is that you cannot launch microG after it has been installed that is the expected behaviour
- Launch YouTube Vanced login into your YouTube account and enjoy
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5 comments
How about for iPhone?
Too good to be true for long. It is awesome though!
Been using it for about a year: once you use it, you can never use the regular YouTube again. It’s that good.
If you have a rooted phone, (one of the many joys of using android) no need for microG
Firstly, you have failed to clearly state that this is not an official app. They have modified the official app, which is possibly illegal and against Play Store rules, that is why it’s not available on the play store. Initially, I thought it was an official variant like YouTube Go.
Secondly, as a third party unaudited app you expose your device to possible security breaches. There’s no certainty that your YouTube credentials aren’t being harvested. Remember that these are generally the same credentials you use in the Google plethora of apps. You should encourage your readers to use their devices safely, being very clear about the risks involved in using the app.
Finally, it is hypocritical to promote a pirated app citing Ad free as a benefit, when as TechZim yourselves you beg users not to use Ad blockers to support your revenue stream. Regardless of its size, YouTube also deserves their ad revenue.
Imagine if I cloned TechZim, stripped out the ads, added a dark mode, made some subtle UX changes, then touted that I have the best tech blog in town.