The only workaround right now is to switch servers, even for frontends e.g. NewPipe, Grayjay, FreeTube, etc. It’s annoying, but better than logging in to Google. Another option is to proxy your location with a browser extension. I suspect that this will be “fixed” by Google in the near future.
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Just a couple of tips.
Proton paid is quite good (use small country servers), I use it when Mullvad servers are blocked.
If no VPN servers are blocked, try Invidious (Nadeko) and cobalt.tools, a site to download YT videos.
Hmmmm I should try this. I run a local Invidious instance in a Mullvad VPN.
For me, even after passing the annoying login issue, in Grayjay it has a “block video, attempt to bypass” and it resets the video.
Right now, I don’t think there is a good reliable way to have an Android YT frontend.
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This problem happens because of the VPN IP is marked as “datacenter IP” and flagged. If you want to circumvent it you need to use IP that’s not blocked. Maybe in time this can be fixed at non-IP level, but this is the situation for now.
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Fwiw, I simply do this and it works fine. (It can be applied to other VPN providers.)
At the moment I have a list of servers that I primarily use, due to speed, and “fallback” to others when the former is blocked, and so on. L
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For the last 1-2 days, I’ve been unable to use YouTube frontends. I can’t even use the YouTube website while connected to Mullvad VPN without them requiring that I sign in. I haven’t seen anyone else complain so I’m wondering if (and how) I’d be the only one with this problem.
(originally an OP, now merged here)
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Actually already discussed a lot:
TL,DR
rotate your ip
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I should’ve clarified, I also can’t use YouTube frontends at all on Android. I’ve tried Mullvad servers that worked for YouTube on Brave desktop as well as my residential IP and nothing worked on NewPipe, Tubular, LibreTube, or Piped. I can try Grayjay but it’s currently outdated on F-Droid and I’m not sure if I wanna bother with APKs, either way I doubt it’d be any different.
YouTube on a mobile browser works but it’s a crappy experience and I’m not able to have “subscriptions” or playlists like I could on Android apps.
I don’t have to rotate IP’s to watch YouTube via Libretube with Windscribe VPN.
Grayjay is working for me in a very cumbersome mix of things. It even doesn’t reset the videos anymore.
- Connect Proton VPN to Angola, Mozambique or Cote de Ivore.
- Connect Orbot.
- Open Grayjay and play the videos.
Not sure if Mullvad VPN may work doing this.
Also, once connected to Orbot it may make you more easy to fingerprint.
I hear you about them not updating the version in F-Droid. It bothers me as well.
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I’m seriously considering moving to Windscribe.
Note that they are not recommended
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I’m testing the latest Freetube nightly on pc and it seems that the problem has been resolved. Hopefully android will catch up too.
Well to be honest I am also beginning to have more and more problem with Libretube/Windscribe. It often says IOS player response not valid. I get the inpression that the bew videos feed don’t load and I sometimes had my video interrupted bc it did not load the rest of the video. In this case I click share (with timestamp) and select Vanadium and continue watching on Vanadium.
Or.just like it just happened : doesn’t load. I quit the video and open it one or two times and in the end it works and I can watch comfortably
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If you use grayjay try enabling the ump stream option in the YouTube plugin.
I can’t find that option.
Click on the More menu in the lower right corner, sources, YouTube plugin.
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Thanks, I also disabled “Allow Loginfallback”. I’ll test this!
For the time being, it seems this is going to keep being a cat and mouse game.
As of this week I’m having no luck whatsoever with NewPipe, Tubular or Grayjay. But PipePipe has been working really well. The dev has been pushing a lot of updates for it as of late to stay on top of all the Youtube blocking.
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