A community for those that would like to get away from Google.
Here you may post anything related to DeGoogling, why we should do it or good software alternatives!
Be respectful even in disagreement
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Mozilla + UBlock means ad free YouTube.
I don’t have the app on any device because I don’t do ads. If you go ad free, then you will start to notice significant changes in you mental wellbeing inside of -10min of ad hits. I wish that was hyperbole, but it is not.
There is good content on YT, but it’s stuff you’ve already discovered. The algorithm and thumbnails are trash. And it’s rarely in the shorts section.
You can use ReVanced to add a block to the android app. It's as as free as my desktop experience with Firefox+uBlockOrigin.
Revanced is the best. I don't get why people keep recommending Peertube, Revanced is vastly superior and you can also use it to nerf other apps.
YouTube still isn't ad-free like that. They devote SO much of the screen to advertisements for other YouTube videos.
I have an browser extension to remove those and haven't seen ANY ads on YouTube in years.
Plus, SponsorBlock takes care of baked-in ads, DeArrow gets rid of those thumbnails, and just blocking the "Home" feed with any number of other extensions and using only the subscriptions tab gets rid of all the algorithmic content once you also block suggestions.
OP, YouTube is shit but they still mostly let you de-shittify. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I'm working on moving to brave or ddg, but rn on google chrome :( but I use stands, just btw
I agree, no ads is so much better for my wellbeing too. Stands says '48 mins total' (it's total is for how long the window's open, iirc)
OP, be frank, did ChatGPT wrote this? Or am I being just paranoid of em dashes and that format?
I use a private invidious instance for the stuff I need to access Youtube for. And peertube for everything else
As much as I would like to ditch it, there really isn't a good equivalent. Peertube and Nebula don't have the amount of content I'm intetested in.
On any social media platform, subjecting yourself to their algorithm is a really bad idea anyway. I treat YouTube like Imgur, I don't browse the site unless some interesting content link sends me there. Suggestions and auto play are off in my Newpipe with Sponsorblock. I stick to handpicked videos or my curated subscriptions only.
I really hope Peertube becomes more popular amongst content creators.
I feel like I have a very different experience of YouTube than most people on here. UBlock on desktop and Revanced on mobile means no ads / sponsored bits, which is absolutely essential. But I also don't have a problem with the dreaded 'algorithm'.
I don't know if it's the kinds of videos I watch (nothing political, or popular) or just not being in the US, but I don't get recommended AI slop or crazy propaganda. I just looked through the Home feed the app, looks like half of it is channels I've subscribed to and most of the rest is channels I've watched recently but haven't subscribed to. There's a couple of videos from channels I don't reconognise, so they could be weird slop but that's not the vibe I'm getting at all, and if I clicked and they were I'd just tag it "Don't Recommend this Channel".
Disapproving of YouTube because it's an evil hegemon makes sense. Supporting alternatives is great (I pay for nebula, even though I end up mostly watching the creators' videos on YouTube). But I'm always curious about why other people seem to have such a terrible experience of the algorithm.
The algorithm recommends things it thinks you'll like or have watched before. So if its recommending AI slop, it's because you're watching AI slop already. People just refuse to take the time to "train" your algorithm (and this isn't just YouTube, it's all algorithmic based platforms). You like / dislike stuff, hide things, give feedback, etc, and eventually you only really see the stuff you actually want to see. Sure some things slip through but 🤷♀️ I use YouTube and will continue to only bc the people I watch don't post anywhere else, unfortunately.
I feel like I have a very different experience of YouTube than most people on here. UBlock on desktop and Revanced on mobile means no ads / sponsored bits, which is absolutely essential. But I also don’t have a problem with the dreaded ‘algorithm’.
i do something similar with the adblocking and it think its the 3rd biggest reason why i haven't yet completely degoogled myself since youtube is a nice experience without that enshitification.
i also use firefox's containerization feature and that along with only viewing my subscriptions list seems to help with the algorithmic recommendation creep of fluff & propaganda.
the five minute tutorial then turns into two hour binge you never signed up for is youtube's fault! it's youtube's fault I waste two hours watching bullshit videos!! we need to fight back!
This reads like a click-bait youtube video's script... Soulless Chatbot-like language, no real information offered at all, and the content is a huge letdown ("here's my recommendation on how to 'walk away and keep the content you love' - just walk away and forget all about the content you love! It's that simple!").
How is Nebula? It has some creators that I like, but does it have a good mobile app?
I like it a lot. A lot of the YouTubers I watch are in there and I found some other channels I enjoy and their original series jetlag is great.
If you have hoopla with your library you can check if they have binge passes for nebula to check the channels and the app (I only use it on my android phone with mostly no issues). I can also send you a guest pass for a free week if you'd like, just DM me your email
I’ll just try it. I don’t need a guest pass, I can just pay for it.
Nebula is invite only for posting videos.
That’s fine as long as there’s enough content. I prefer long form content which I know they host.
ok but I can't upload onto nebula.
Using apps like Grayjay or Newpipe allow you to just subscribe to certain channels and don't see any recommendations at all. I haven't used the YT algorithm in years and also don't get any ads. Instead, I just watch the content creators I like and nothing else. On grayjay you can also add other services like Nebula, so the variety is even higher. I really don't get how people can watch YT with the algorithm and with ads, but it seems too much effort for most people to look for alternatives.
I stopped using youtube completely back when Trump was elected. I was never a big user anyway, I prefer reading. Its not something I grew up with so I don't miss it. I got a used Pixel for GrapheneOS shortly after that. I got a Proton account a few years ago, and stopped using google search back in 2008, when I started using Linux and duckduckgo was the default search in Firefox. I think I'm pretty degoogled now. Hope Graphene can find an OEM supplier, having this Pixel gives me some strong dissonance. Its just a temporary fix, it was cheap tho.
Peertube has no content whatsoever. The current best option for privacy is using invidious mirrors.
Subscribing to channels with RSS and using third-party YouTube clients is still using YouTube for content.
The suggestion you gave about using peer tube is fantastic, but the content does need to increase some.
uBlock or Brave blocks normal ads, including the banners and injected commercials.
SponsorBlock blocks in-video sponsor mentions.
DeArrow removes clickbait thumbnails and replaces them with random frames from the video, and switches clickbait titles to crowdsourced descriptive titles.
I'd leave too if those stopped working, but they work for now.
Edit: And if you are on android, revanced does all of the above. Thanks for reminding us, StarlingUK
I'm amazed dearrow is so aggressive with their attempt at monetization. Usually these addon devs ask for donations rather than trying to squeeze you for a buck or playing waiting games.
Revanced has incorporated DeArrow.
How do I upload video to Lemmy?
I use NewPipe on mobile and freetube on desktop, although you probably considered them since they're often recommended first when you just start looking into youtube alternatives
fully agreed, however check out invidious.io or freetube if you want to degoogle but if theres still anything your missing
Thanks, I'm fully degoogled now
Ublock on Firefox = the same results
with a much higher pool of good content.
Honestly, if all you're seeing is click bait that's a You issue
Been using FreeTube for a bit now w/ GraphineOS, and my Linux Desktop. Runs cookieless embed of YouTube videos and Invidious instances built in. Localized subscriptions and playlists, which can be imported in from Google Takeout; no recommendations page. Occasionally YT will block your IP, which is where a good VPN comes into play so you could switch on the fly, and for overall additional privacy hygiene.
I would love to drop YT all together, but some independent journalists I follow are all there who's coverage is really on the pulse. It pays to be informed by good journalists these days, and many of them are unfortunately on YT.
Ublock + SponsorBlock + the Unhook browser extension to hide everything except subscriptions + one custom Ublock filter to hide the suggested videos after the end which they snuck back in a few weeks ago
Unhook is really great
For some reason i haven't seen an ad on YouTube since April. I didn't sign up and still get an occasional pop up about a free trial. Not sure what happened
Did you install ublock origin?
Nope
Weird.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I use PipePipe on my tablet. No ads. Recommended videos can be turned off.
Patreon has limited video hosting but the player is pretty nice and I am able to block most of the javascript while still having video playback.
I have cut down watching youtube so much. Occasionally there will still be something I want to watch, but I just go through freetube for that. Definitely watching 95% less content though.