Revanced: possible successor to vanced utube

Google has started blocking vanced youtube. Currently it's account specific. One of my YT account can't play videos in vanced. Message on video says that I need to install latest version of YT to play videos.
I've managed to replicate this issue only a couple of times when trying to watch videos on incognito mode. Fixed it by force stopping the app and reopening incognito mode. (This error never occurred in normal usage of the app for me just when trying to watch through incognito)
 
lineageOS with microG is a fork with microG built-in. I used to run my FireTV with microG to access the Google App store. You need signature spoofing enabled and installing apks is not enough. It is a huge security risk though at the system level, and a reason why many custom ROMs choose to not do it.
Days are gone now... Now even gapps is optional in roms and if inbuilt, its minimalist..
 
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Yeah. None of the custom ROMs use microg at the system level. It doesn't matter if you are using custom rom or not, you only need it when you are using vanced or revanced youtube. When you install it, it gets installed as any other app. However, it does have a full access to your google account though.
 
To clarify, they all retain the Google services integration from upstream ?
Yup. All basic Google Play service things. You get everything to run any app. Device gets certified by play store and everything. However, you don't get other Google bloat like YouTube, Chrome etc. You have to install them from the Play Store.

This is for most of the custom roms out there. There are some roms like Lineage OS where you don't get anything out of the box. You have to install even basic Google Play services yourself but it's super easy so no big deal.
 
To clarify, they all retain the Google services integration from upstream ?
I used custom ROMs with microG for several years on older devices until a year ago because Google Play Services (GPS) is a 24x7 statistics logger with high battery drain. With microG at the system level, it is possible to pass the certification and also have a functional Play Store. The only things that didn't work were those forcefully tied by Google to GPS like GPay and in-app purchases.

Primary purpose of microG is to provide open-source APIs compatible with proprietary Google ones which it does efficiently to a good level. You could say Vanced was misusing it to an extent, so it is not on microG to do anything for Revanced but to rather continue work on their mission to provide an open-source alternative that enables you to have a practical Google-free phone while being able to use almost all non-Google apps on the Play Store.

Note that you don't even need to login using microG if all you want to do is use apps not tied to your account.
 
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Google has started blocking vanced youtube. Currently it's account specific. One of my YT account can't play videos in vanced. Message on video says that I need to install latest version of YT to play videos.
This happened yesterday and nothing plays anymore in vanced :(
I use Revanced Manager on the Android device itself. Takes less than 2 minutes to apply the patches and generate the signed APK (from the latest YT APK on APK Mirror) on a Snapdragon 865 Plus, but it would not take several minutes more on any low-end device.
I gave this a shot and it worked. But there are no instructions on that github site about patching so use the below guide,


start from Revanced manager heading if you already have microg installed from old vanced

I went with recommended patches and there were like 50 of them. Took about 3m30s to build on the S0FE which is a SD 865

Playstore protect will want to quarantine when you install it so you will have to disable it for this app.

Now to test for a few days and see how stable this revanced app is
 
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Guide: How to build your own revanced youtube and other dozens of supported apps, the official method.

Takes about 5 minutes and is easy. In short, we use revanced manager, give it a source apk, choose the patches we want and compile the patched apk on our phones. The method is same whether you want to create revanced versions of youtube, youtube-music, spotify, tiktok, reddit, twitter, instagram, photomatch, nova launcher, windy, tasker etc apps. Everything used here is open source.

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THE GUIDE STARTS HERE
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1. First, download and install the latest revanced/revanced-manager/releases on your android phone. It's all-in-one tool made by revanced team that handles downloading the patches, actual patching and even installing the patched app in the end.

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2. Now head to the revanced/revanced-patches repository which lists all the available patches. Scroll down and open details to see patches available for the app you want to patch. Here, I'm taking example of the youtube. Do notice that most of the patches have target version of '18.05.40'. We need to download original youtube apk of this version only. If you use different version of the youtube apk then it won't work.

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3. Go to the apkpure and search for youtube. On the versions page, scroll down till you see the version we require. And download it on your phone. Make sure you don't download bundle, XAPK or APKM types. You need a plain APK.

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4. Open the installed revanced manager app (from step 1). Go to Patcher tab > Select an application > Storage > Select the youtube apk you just downloaded (in step 3). It'll automatically list the available patches for the select apk. Click on the selected patches. You may click 'Recommended' to select all recommended patches automatically. Or you can go through them one by one. It'll also remember your choice so that next time it'll auto select the patches you last selected.

  • Make sure that you select 'MicroG Support' if want to run youtube without root.
  • Also, don't forget to select 'Spoof Signature Verification', that'll unblock your youtube account if it had stopped playing videos on vanced youtube.
  • If you want AMOLED all black theme then select 'Theme' patch too. Currently, the app goes in all black theme instead of dark regardless of this patch. It's a bug in the current version.
  • You will also want to select 'SponsorBlock', 'Return youtube dislike' and 'Disable shorts on startup'. These are my last few reasons why I'm still using Android.
Click 'Done' button once you are happy. Finally, click the 'Patch' button. It'll take several minutes to compile the revanced app.

In the end, it'll show you the 'Install' button. Click that to install the patched app. For something like youtube, you do have to use this manager to install the youtube. Youtube uses split-apk tech and it can't be installed like a regular app. The patched apk isn't saved to your internal storage automatically. You can do that by clicking the options three dot button. You'll need to do this in case if you want to share the apk or save it for a future use. If you or someone else want to install youtube apk (doesn't matter revanced or not) without this manager then you'll have install it through split apk installer.

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5. This step is required only if the patched app is youtube or youtube music and you are not rooted. Patched youtube isn't going to work without microG. If you had microG from vanced already installed you can skip this step provided, the new patched youtube is working fine and you can login. MicroG that came with vanced was compiled a year ago. It'll eventually stop working. If the youtube isn't working then uninstall the old microG. Download latest microG and install it.

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THE GUIDE ENDS HERE
Below are optional steps
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6. Making revanced app default: This is an optional step. Once you find your patched revanced youtube is working fine, you can disable the default youtube that came with the mobile by going to Settings > Apps > See All Apps > Select YouTube > Tap on Disable > Disable App. Additionally, you can go to app info of the patched revanced youtube > open by default > Select open supported links > select all available links. This way, whenever you open a youtube link on your phone, it'll open in the revanced youtube.

7. Video/music downloading/offline: The built in youtube download/offline feature of revanced is semi-working just like vanced. For a full download/offline functionality we'll have to use a third party app called PowerTube. Download, install and open it, give it the storage permissions. You may change download folder from its settings. Now, open revanced youtube go to settings > ReVanced > Interaction > Download settings > Turn on show download button and then click on the downloader package name and give it the name of the powertube app package. That's ussr.razar.youtube_dl . This of course means, you will have to use a different player like VLC to play the downloaded contents. Youtube music, however, has the ability to play the music files.

You will not see these settings if you didn't select the 'downloads' patch.

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Now, to download video/music, click on the download button which is on the yt video player (not under it). PowerTube should automatically ask you for resolution and format. Alternatively, you can 'share' the video to PowerTube app. It can download media from anything, even websites. I share the playlists from youtube music app and it download the whole thing in one click.

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Instead of PowerTube, you may use the NewPipe. But I find PowerTube is better because it has more options, it can download playlists and it can download non-youtube stuff too.
 
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Guide: How to build your own revanced youtube and other dozens of supported apps, the official method.
I download the APKs from here directly, do a virustotal and use -
 
My main account got hit with restrictions :(
Cannot play any videos in YouTube Vanced.
If I switch to a different account on the same app then everything works fine.

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Anyone using SmartTubeNext?
I;m getting this error since yesterday: video source isn't working or incorrect time

Many people facing it and no solution yet.

Can Revanced be used on TV too?
 
Now to test for a few days and see how stable this revanced app is
It was stable until it was not. This was 17.34.35

Downloaded the latest apk (18.19.35), patched and seems like it works fine once again.

The problem was longer videos, over two hours would start buffering after a bit.
 
Anyone using SmartTubeNext?
I;m getting this error since yesterday: video source isn't working or incorrect time

Many people facing it and no solution yet.

Can Revanced be used on TV too?
I kept facing the issue even after the STN updates addressing the video source issues. Similarly, the official YT app went to restricted mode.

Turns out the culprit was Adguard Home. It would seem to me YT is using some additional URLs now which are blocked by most adblocker lists.

Disabling Adguard Home in general resolved all issues, so I would assume the same applies to PiHole and other blockers. Probably easy to determine what is being used by YT for adblocking checks, but don't have the time for that.
 
Turns out the culprit was Adguard Home. It would seem to me YT is using some additional URLs now which are blocked by most adblocker lists.

Disabling Adguard Home in general resolved all issues, so I would assume the same applies to PiHole and other blockers. Probably easy to determine what is being used by YT for adblocking checks, but don't have the time for that.
Adguard home/pihole is not the issue but your filter lists might be.
I'm using Adguard Home with below filter lists since many months with Revanced app, no issue.

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