This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
I watch youtube on a smart TV where I don't have a way to skip ads. I know there are ways to do it, I just never implemented.
The experience with Youtube is getting so much worse. It used to be one ad at the start of the video. Then it was two. And now ads in the middle of the video. They are also so long! It completely breaks the narrative of the video and is so distracting.
All of this just makes me want to watch less Youtube, which is likely not a bad thing.
I hope I can be the motivation you need with these super simple steps (will take a few minutes).
I seem to have the right stuff on my laptop, but not on my phone. When I play escape games on the phone I occasionally need a walkthrough video, so I'm switching between 3 apps: the game, my notes (a paint app) and the video. Walkthrough videos typically have an ad at the beginning and maybe one in the middle, and I don't mind watching 15-30 seconds of ads for the YouTuber's work.
This used to be pretty seamless, but a couple weeks ago something changed. When switching back to YouTube, it would not return me to the video but to the home screen. I have to go to "You" to get the video I was just watching, and when I click it it plays the ads again, then jumps to where I left off. So now every time I switch away I have to view an ads again when I switch back, which really sucks balls. I don't think the phone is running out of memory since other apps I have open switch right back to where they left off. So I'd love to get something that will skip all that.
I'm still self hosting Invidious... Watching YouTube videos without ever visiting YouTube...
when they do this shit I wonder who their target audience is.
Their wallets.
GrayJay
NewPipe or Piped
Days ago I discovered vacuumtube for steam deck. It's basically youtube with tv interface but with all the adblocks. It works wonders in game mode and even has controller support.
