this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023
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Youtube premium is pretty pointless when ublock origin exists.
Edit: sorry should have clarified. I meant in terms of blocking ads. I realize that you still can't play youtube videos and switch apps.
Yeah, good thing ReVanced gives us that instead.
I use it to listen to things while I drive without having to listen to ads or keep my phone’s screen on. The music is a bonus, but I do quite miss Google Play Music
Does this work on mobile? I only pay for premium to get rid of ads and to allow the video to keep playing when I use other apps.
If you have android, you might wanna check out ReVanced. I cant imagine youtube without it
You can block the YouTube ads in Firefox for Android by using the free uBlock Origin add-on.
Or if you want to block even more annoying things, like sponsored segments / paid promotions or even off-topic sections (using highly customisable options) and also add additional features, like being able to play the audio while the screen is off and playing YouTube in a mini window, you can get the free Android app YouTube ReVanced.
It works on firefox
Nah.
I can use YouTube on any of my devices on any network and don't worry about ever seeing an ad. It's nice.
Sure, you can use revanced, pi hole, ublock origin, etc, but whenever they break, or have short down times where ads sneak in until the filters get updates, it's just not worth the effort.
I've rarely ever had issues with adblockers. Install one and it works totally fine for multiple years until you might need to install a new adblocker.
And when you need to block ads on a friends phone? roku tv? android tv? apple tv? iphone or ipad? android phone or tablet?
Sure, pi hole can work, until you leave the house. Some phones can be rooted to use an adblocker, but that's not practical for everyone. You can use DNS blocking, but that means all of your traffic is tunneled through a random DNS you can hopefully trust.
It's just a lot. It's possible, but you really need to manage it and keep it working. When a solution is killed, you gotta find a new solution.
It's just easier to pay for the family plan. Keeps everything working, and my family isn't hitting me up for tech support every other day because they broke something.
If you only watch on your PC, or you only watch at home, adblock or pi hole is great. Set it and forget it. I watch YouTube on plenty of devices across plenty of networks and don't want to deal with it.
I have YouTube premium and totally agree with you.
One workaround though, although it’s a bit of a pain,is that you can VPN into your home network and have the benefits of pihole when on mobile or using an iPad.
I'm not understanding why I would want to try to block ads on a friend's phone unless they asked me how to get rid of them. But for the other stuff, it's super easy.
On a PC: Install any random adblocker your browser allows. Most browsers have an addon or extension store that you can go it with only a few clicks and install one quickly and hassle free. Once you install it, there is no setup required and no maintenance or fiddling required.
On Android phones: Install YouTube Revanced. It's an app. You have to download and install I believe two apps. You don't have to root your phone or do anything special at all. Just download and install and forget about it for the next several years.
On Android based Smart TVs (Chromecast, Fire Stick, etc.): Install SmartTube. It's as easy as downloading and installing a single app. You don't have to root your device. It's incredibly simple and no more complicated than downloading almost any other random app. There is no complicated setup, configuration, or maintenance. Just download and install and forget about it for the next several years.
So there you go. It's not complex at all. A non root installation of two to three simple apps (plus an adblocker that you should have on your browser anyway) has all of my devices set for literally anywhere on the planet I can go. You're really exaggerating how complicated it is and how often you need to install a new app or how often it breaks (maybe once every 5 or so years you install a different easy to install and use app).
I will admit, iOS stuff is a little trickier. I don't personally own any iOS devices, but I think it does make it a bit more complex to install adblocking apps on them. So I suppose if you only have iOS devices I could see why you choose to skip this stuff. It's doable, just more involved. On Android, you literally download, install, and just go and are totally set for multiple years.
I have heard of pihole, but I don't believe it's a common solution. This part I agree with you...it's overly complex and you need a lot of tech knowledge to set something like that up and maintain it. Couple that with the downside of it literally only working at home and I don't really understand why people go this route.
You really, really don't need to constantly manage all of this stuff to keep it working. And it's really not complex at all. It's as easy as downloading and installing one or two apps or installing one adblocker extension to your browser. Then you forget about it. There is zero maintenance involved. Maybe once every 5 years you might have to install a different app, but there is no advanced skills needed and there is no maintenance needed. Things do not constantly break and need maintenance. I don't do any maintenance and nothing just randomly kills itself.
YouTube aside, I have no idea how anyone can find browsing the internet at all tolerable without an adblocker extension on their browser. Are you not inundated with ads on every site that is not YouTube? Do you just deal with intrusive ads everywhere else?
I literally haven't ever had ublock origin or pihole fail on me but whatever.
You can do that with ReVanced though!
Paying for a service you enjoy is surely not pointless?
It is when a free alternative which offers more features and is easier to set up exists.
There are definitely better front-end alternatives to YouTube. But... they contribute nothing to the people who make the content that you want to use those front-ends for. I pay for YouTube premium, but I still sometimes use other methods for consuming it. So, take this for what it's worth: by all means, use the free alternatives, etc. But the whole "don't pay for it if it is free" is shortsighted.
I enjoy breathing air, I would not pay for it, why should I pay for YouTube w/o ads when a free alternative (ublock origin + sponsorblock + misc. extentions) exist and it's better? (not regionlocked for example, another big one is that it's... Free)
It's not really an accurate analogy, nor is this concept complicated enough to warrant one. Content creators (air makers?) need to sustain themselves with the revenue their work grants them. People who circumvent this like you, add to the running cost of YouTube but contribute nothing in return. I personally despise advertisement of all forms, so I understand your motivation to do so. I would even encourage it if you have no other means. But, to justify it in the way you do seems intellectually and/or morally dishonest.