It seems like on the Apple TV, I can only download the official YouTube app.
On Android TV, I’m reading that there is an app called SmartTube that can block ads and is a good open-source software. Has anyone here used it before? Is it more private and secure than the official YouTube app? Are there any other private and secure YouTube apps with ad blocking?
I haven’t used SmartTube before, but I’m a little annoyed with the official YouTube app because I need to sign in in order to see all of the channels I have subscribed to. Signing into YouTube obviously makes it easier for Google to track me. With SmartTube, is it possible to see the channels I’ve subscribed to or to create a new list of subscriptions without signing into YouTube with my Google account?
It’s definitely possible to use SmartTube without an account, though you will have more issues if you’re using a VPN as youtube has been cracking down on them for a while and you’ll get the “please sign in” messages sometimes when trying to watch a video.
What you can do is create a throwaway google account just for this and be done with that aspect.
So far, the hassle free YT frontend for me was with Grayjay. TV wise, I didn’t install an YT frontend app in an Android box, I cast the videos using Fcast:
“How do I cast to a TV or desktop?
The recommended way to cast is to use the FCast Receiver app. This app works on Android, Android TV, MacOS, Windows and Linux. It can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or from here https://fcast.org/. We also support casting to ChromeCast. ChromeCast at the moment is still being improved and it requires proxying streams by your phone (unlike FCast) for any content that has separate video and audio streams. Lastly, we support AirPlay. However, AirPlay does not support the DASH protocol so we do not support playing content with separated video and audio streams to AirPlay devices.”
I’m using a Firewalla Gold Pro router ( Firewalla Gold Pro: 10G Cyber Security Firewall & Router Protecting Yo | Firewalla ), which allows me to configure policy-based routing. I currently run three different Proton VPN clients directly on the router, each tied to specific domain lists. For example, all YouTube traffic is routed through one VPN client, Reddit traffic through another, and any personal or sensitive activities like banking are routed through a client using Proton’s Secure Core servers.
The setup also lets me assign individual devices or even entire subnets to specific VPN clients. On top of that, all my DNS requests are handled by an Unbound server, which is also tunneled through Proton VPN for additional privacy and security.
It’s definitely an expensive solution, but I’ve found it to be extremely flexible and worth it.
It’s a DNS server you run locally that securely and privately looks up website addresses (DNS). It does this by resolving queries directly from root servers, not through a third-party provider(like your ISP, Google DNS, Cloudflare), and caches responses for faster browsing. Unbound supports features like DNSSEC for added security, and keeps your DNS data private from your ISP or outside companies.
Yeah, but this comment is like being a teenage boy and seeing a Lamborghini parked on the street. This is beautiful and I love it and I can’t afford it, and that only makes me want this in my life more.