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by gchamonlive6 hours ago |
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upvoteby TFNA4 hours ago|
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NewPipe has a one-click download button. If one follows channels with mainly-audio content that one may want to listen to later, possibly away from an internet connection, that is super-handy.

NewPipe also lets you export your subscriptions (which is just a bunch of links to RSS feeds), so you aren't shackled to Android/RSS.

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upvoteby wafflemaker2 hours ago|
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It's even better with a podcast app that can have a directory read as a podcast. Have to click once more though to have the"podcasts"refreshed to get it in my playlist. Still cool for podcasts that are only on YouTube and Spotify.
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upvoteby gchamonlive4 hours ago|
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Can I somehow import my current subscriptions from Google into newpipe? When I tried newpipe what put me off was that I already had a list on the browser. I also couldn't sync the list between multiple devices. Also is there anything on Linux I can use to sync to newpipe and resume videos on my laptop if I'm tired of watching on my phone? Of if I saw something interest and I wanted to continue on Linux in order to take notes and make proofs of concept.
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upvoteby TFNA4 hours ago|
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NewPipe does have a Share function for any video and there is probably some way to customize it to get the integration with your Linux laptop that you want. I believe (though I haven't tried in a while) that if one is watching a video on NewPipe and then clicks Share and passes the video to a media-center device running Kodi, Kodi will even start playing the video from that same timestamp, so Share is pretty powerful. Not sure what is available for passing vids from a Linux computer to NewPipe on the phone, though.
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upvoteby gchamonlive3 hours ago|
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To add to the list, if you share the link over kdeconnect and select a linux device (mine is hyprland on archlinux) it'll open the link using the default $BROWSER. If there's a simple integration to sync subscriptions I think I'd give it another go. Fennec is good but as mentioned background playback stability would be really nice to have.
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upvoteby shellwizard4 hours ago|
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Also newpipe let you create a playlist of videos and only play the audio track in the background or play a given video in the background
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upvoteby mawadev3 hours ago|
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Solid take, these days most apps are just glorified browser wrappers and you don't miss out on anything. In fact, you could have a separate browser with all these saving modes disabled just for the youtube use case.
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upvoteby II2II5 hours ago|
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One of the reasons why I use an app to view YouTube is to disable suggested videos and comments. Basically, I want to have a personalized list of the channels I view as worth watching and I want to discourage continued watching outside of those boundaries.
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upvoteby Groxx5 hours ago|
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There are adblock filters and extensions for that fwiw.

YouTube does make some kind of changes significantly harder to build than simple scripting will handle though. I do definitely see some reasons for specialized apps, and video is a fairly prime example of where they're often more capable or more (power/time/whatever) efficient.

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upvoteby gchamonlive5 hours ago|
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I don't have a problem with compulsive watching, so for me the subscriptions view is good enough. I think there are be extensions for Firefox to customize the layout the way need, but it falls in the pitfall of relying on YouTube code for it to work, so it's bound to be flaky or have a short lifespan.
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upvoteby II2II5 hours ago|
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For the most part, I've been using the apps for so long that compulsive viewing is not an issue on my end either. That said, I do have my days and I don't want to slide into that habit. By sticking to my curated list, I am limited to a couple of hours of videos a week. Quite often it turns out to be less since I've grown much more selective about what I will watch from that list.
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upvoteby gchamonlive5 hours ago|
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In a non-curated list, or one curated by the algorithm, what types of videos do you think has this potential to suck you back into this habit?
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upvoteby II2II4 hours ago|
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By far the easiest ones that would cause me to slide back into this habit come from channels I used to watch, then decided to stop watching. In a lot of cases, those channels produced videos I enjoyed. Yet I also found them hit-and-miss in terms of quality or the channel focussed upon long-form videos with too little content to justify the time watching them.

When I switched over to using an app, there was also a good chance that an algorithmically suggested video from an unfamiliar creator would capture my imagination. When I have looked at recommendations recently, I doubt that would be a problem today. Too much AI and human generated slop. Too many click-bait titles that barely give a hint on what the video is about, never mind why I should care about their take on it.

Then there are the days when I am both bored and exhausted. While I don't tend to watch much on those days, I have known myself to scroll through the recommendations to see if there is anything to occupy the time.

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upvoteby crtasm5 hours ago|
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I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.
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upvoteby gchamonlive5 hours ago|
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I use android so I'm already past that point sadly, but I'd be the first to dump my Google credentials as soon as that monopoly that's got a stranglehold on Android cracks
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upvoteby crtasm4 hours ago|
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I'm also on Android, running LineageOS without adding google services
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upvoteby gchamonlive3 hours ago|
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Indeed, but then I'd have to say goodbye to banking and thus NFC paying, which needs the banking app installed locally AFAIK to authorize the link. So yeah, it's doable but cripples the device to such a point that I'd only be able to use it at home. On the go access to banking is a must.

The block in degooglifying is usually region not lack of willingness. Some places are locked to Google by no fault of the consumer.

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upvoteby hadrien0113 minutes ago|
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I use Android without a Google account and I have access to banking (bank apps through Aurora Store, and NFC works without a Google account).
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upvoteby Latty3 hours ago|
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Have you tried disabling the Page Visibility API? Web apps will sometimes use that to try and mess with background playing, IIRC.
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upvoteby gchamonlive3 hours ago|
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Wasn't aware of this API tbh, will take a look thanks!
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upvoteby CarlJW2 hours ago|
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Have you tried the Firefox extension "Video Background Play Fix"?

This has worked flawlessly for me on every phone I've used.

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upvoteby thuruv2 hours ago|
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agreeable argument. I am also running towards firefox, but keeping the firefox open, juggling between the tabs, especially the quirks YT poses on Firefox, these apps poses a usecase. Yes, download/subscribe/SB support etc. Currently using libretube mostly.
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upvoteby gchamonlive2 hours ago|
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I'm with you here, it's a degraded user experience running stuff on mobile browser, intentionally so I'd risk saying. Best of both worlds would be to have an android app but it's just a webserver I connect using the browser, you know, like we've always done in linux haha, this way we could have newpipe-like apps targeting the browser running locally.

but for some reason google knows better and there is no efficient way to run local containerized web services.

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upvoteby dataflow3 hours ago|
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> Used through all of the apps and personally there's little incentive for me not to use Firefox/Fennec.

Your comment made me try Firefox for the Nth time right now.

And the rendering is still bad like I remembered it. Download the image locally and open it in an image viewer so you actually view the pixels 1:1, then see if you can tell which one is Firefox (I can): https://imgur.com/a/FsXuoa3

I'm staying with Chrome.

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upvoteby aktenlage2 hours ago|
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It always hurts me, when people basically say "I'm not giving up [something that has cornered the market] for the alternative, because [minor-grievance]", even though it is already clear that the monopoly is being exploited to make things worse for all customers.
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upvoteby dataflow2 hours ago|
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I want to use Firefox, this was my Nth failed attempt at doing so. I just cited the first problem I saw again, not the only one as you're assuming. Mozilla has had years - literally over a decade - to fix such issues.

But hey, if there's one thing that's definitely going to convince people to do things they don't like, it's to diminish their grievances and guilt-trip them.

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upvoteby bluebarbet1 hours ago|
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This whole debate is such a chestnut. Of course, you will do as you please, it's your right. But these choices do reveal values and priorities. Speaking personally (and, I suppose you will say, sanctimoniously), I choose to use Firefox despite its flaws because I don't want the internet to be privatized. I know what I'm missing out on. It's less important.
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upvoteby chrisweekly2 hours ago|
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Related tangent: Brave is pretty close to Chrome, sans Google.
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upvoteby dataflow2 hours ago|
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I mean, so is Edge. I can't say I feel more comfortable with them. Probably the most direct thing I can point to for Brave is that having cryptocurrency features in a browser doesn't give trustworthy vibes. And yes I realize there's a reason for it and there's a fairly high chance the vibes could be giving the wrong impression here, but when your entire digital life is at stake, that raises the bar for the risks you want to take. Whatever you think of Chrome or Google, the reality is that they're known quantities and I'm already using them, like most other people.
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