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It'll block YouTube ads if you use it via a browser instead of the app

Oh, for any browser?

Edit: apparently not, just checked the samsung internet app

Are you sure it is actually playing in the browser? You'll have to uninstall YouTube because it'll automatically load the app.

I went to youtube.com on the default browser app and it was playing ads. Youtube app isn't installed.

Maybe it's just that browser

Edit: same on bing

If you're using Android, I suggest getting NewPipe for YouTube (which doesn't have any ads)

Is that an app?

Type youtube vanced on google and download it, you get both youtube and youtube music apps

It's my understanding that Vanced was shutdown. Was it not?

That app has 1.6 stars and every review claims it is broken and full of ads.

Firefox with uBlock Origin extension. It's a game changer for YouTube ad blocking.

wrong newpipe. you gotta get it off the normal app store. try f droid

Hmm, try using DNS66, and see if the VPN version of the ad blocker will block the ads.

That's what I'm using and it's great. I'm also using Firefox to watch YT

Yeah but still working fine for me, at least until the next major api changes. Even then, there's already revanced and others.

Like u/knighthawk0811 said, I don't know if it's on Google play store or not, but you can get it off the f-droid web site or f-droid app store

Thank you for this!

You could just use Firefox on Android it has built in ad block for webpages

For YouTube there used to be youtube Vanced which literally blocked all the ads along with giving some of the youtube premium features but since it was shutdown you can use alternatives like newpipe or youtube revanced(its in still early phases should be decent after a few major updates)

Firefox Focus, DuckDuckGo for android.

Important to note that since all of your internet activity goes through your DNS, the owners of a DNS can track your internet traffic unless you're using a VPN. I'm not familiar with this adguard so I can't speak to how trustworthy they are. Just be careful when using private or custom DNS servers; make sure it's a server you trust. They may be tracking your Internet activity for their own purposes, even if they are blocking others from doing so.

Is revanced a vanced clone?

I feel like I've seen this same LPT, always specifying adguard's DNS, several times over the last month. It makes me mildly suspicious.

Does this work for ads in apps too?

Continuation/clone. Same features with a bit more customization, but still in early alpha and has some more complex install requirements.

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Added to the post. Thanks for that insight

Removed it. Is there any you would suggest?

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Is there a specific one that you recommend?

I don't use a custom DNS. I've never had a need for it, least of all as an ad blocker. I just use a VPN for privacy, but again make sure you trust the VPN because they can track everything if they want to. Any good VPN will have a "no logs" policy so that they can't give your data to others even if they wanted to. I use ExpressVPN, but there are other decent ones out there too.

Regarding ad blocking, it's probably an unpopular opinion, but I think ad blockers are essentially digital theft. It costs money for people to run websites and produce content. "Free" websites aren't actually free; most of them rely on ad revenue to keep the site running and profitable enough to keep making more content. Ad blockers remove some of that revenue. It's like sneaking in the back door to a movie theater without paying for a ticket.

I either pay a subscription fee to get rid of ads, or I just deal with the ads.

I use firefox + ublock origin and new pipe for youtube. what ads?

For YouTube, you can download Newpipe. No ads and you can listen to music even if the app is running in the background.

You can run your own at home using PiHole or AdGuard. If you wanted to access it from mobile the best would be setting up a VPS but that’s pretty advanced for the average person.

Setting up pihole on your home network handles ads on all devices on your network, and adding a VPN server allows your phones to tunnel home so they're always on your network.

Same with Brave browser. Just found the setting to allow background video playback ツ