NewPipe: the better YouTube client for Android
NewPipe is an open source YouTube application for Android that has all the features that the official YouTube application does not support, or only offers when you pay for it.
The official YouTube application is preloaded on most Android devices. Many users find it barely useable, as Google is limiting its capabilities on purpose. It lacks background playback, downloads, shows lots of advertisement, and is quite annoying in other regards as well.
Users who subscribe get some of these features back, but there are better alternatives out there. One of these is NewPipe.
I mentioned NewPipe briefly in How to deal with Google's and YouTube's aggressive popups (before you continue, sign in), which I published in 2020.
You can download the application from the developer site or from F-Droid. Note that you need to enable the installation of applications from unknown sources on the Android devices to do so.
NewPipe displays content using the system's language and region by default, but you can change these parameters in the settings easily. Select Menu > Settings > Content, and switch the preferences app language, default content language, and default content country there.
You may browse trending videos or use the built-in search. NewsPipe does not use proprietary Google APIs and sends the bare minimum that is required for its functionality.
Tap on a video to start its playback on the device. The video plays immediately, there are no ads. NewPipe offers all the features that you expect, and more. You see comments below the video, may play the video in fullscreen mode, and add it to a playlist.
Other features include changing the quality of the stream, enabling background playback and downloading the video to the local system for offline access. Background playback happens with a single tap. You may then hide the NewPipe app on the device without losing the playback of the stream.
Downloads work equally well. Just select the download button, select whether you want to download the video, only audio or only captions, and pick a quality. NewPipe displays the size of the download automatically in the download dialog. You are asked to pick a download folder the first time you use the download feature.
The app supports a pop-up player, which plays the video in an overlay on the screen while you may use different apps on the device. It works similarly to picture in picture modes of web browsers.
Another handy feature of NewPipe is the ability to subscribe to channels, without signing in to a Google account. Just hit the subscribe button to add a channel to the subscriptions to create a custom feed and get quick access to subscribed channels. The bookmarking feature goes hand in hand with this. Create your own playlists or import them, to play an endless stream of content on the device whenever you want to.
The Settings are extensive and offer everything you could possibly want, and more. You may turn off comments, and the showing of "next" or "similar" videos, configure notifications in detail, disable the watch history, change the application's appearance, or set default resolutions and formats for video and audio content.
Closing words
NewPipe, and the previously reviewed Skytube app, are niche apps that add lots of usability features to the YouTube viewing experience on Android that the official YouTube application does not support.
Now You: which apps or browsers do you use to watch content on YouTube?
Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.
He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.
Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?
Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?
Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.
The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.
It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.
> The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…
Sadly, I have to agree.
Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.
If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!
We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.
because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…
“Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.
How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.
Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.
Sorry posted on the wrong page.
such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time
I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.
I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S
Quoting the article,
“As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”
Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?
I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.
@John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]
This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.
> Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.
Firefox did this long before Safari.
Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.