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Sponsorblock is not as blunt a tool as people make it here. You can only block specific type of ads and you can whitelist whole channels which I do for some nic

Sponsorblock is not as blunt a tool as people make it here. You can only block specific type of ads and you can whitelist whole channels which I do for some niche channels I subscribe to. In Android, I use Tubular [1], the NewPipe fork that integrates Sponsorblock and ReturnYoutube Dislike. My only additional request in this awesome app is if we can download the video after snipping out the sponsor block sections. [1] https://github.com/polymorphicshade/Tubular https://github.com/polymorphicshade/Tubular

stavros 2y ago
That sounds useful, thanks! Odd that it's not on any of the stores (eg F-droid).
- Joe_Cool 2y ago
  It is in the Izzyondroid repo: https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/org.polymorphicshade.tubular https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/org.polymorphicshad... I can also highly recommend the app sponsored by Louis Rossmann: Grayjay. It can do everything that Tubular does and much, much more. It also uses a plugin architecture so you don't have to wait for an update of the app when Youtube blocks it again. https://grayjay.app/ https://grayjay.app/ It's also on the Play Store but without any plugins due to Google policy.
  - stavros 2y ago
    Thank you! I've added the repo and will look at Grayjay now.
anotherhue 2y ago
yt-dlp has a sponsorblock integration that removes the segments from the downloaded file.
- wanderingmind 2y ago
  Yes I use it in Desktop/laptops, but integrating it in Android through termux was a pain. I recently found out about [Seal](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.junkfood.seal/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.junkfood.seal/) which seems to provide a front end for yt-dlp in Android. Might try this out soon.
  - pxc 2y ago
    I use Seal all the time when people send me links to videos on social media, since, lacking the apps and accounts, I can't reliably or conveniently get them to play at the present stage of enshittification of those platforms. Seal is great! Definitely give it a try.
  - smahs 2y ago
    I first found Seal which uses arai2 under the hood. After getting used to Seal, I had to start using yt-dlp with aria2 on linux as well. The only nitpick is that you can't get multiple parallel downloads with Seal.
- Ruthalas 2y ago
  You can also mark segments in the downloaded files with that combination of tools, which is useful and non-destructive.
seanw444 2y ago
I've been using NewPipe X which is very similar, but now has comment reply viewing, which I really value. Does Tubular have that now?
- aembleton 2y ago
  What's comment reply viewing? Do you mean viewing the replies to a comment because Tubular can do that.
- aqfamnzc 2y ago
  Yes, they added comment replies functionality a little while ago.
KetoManx64 2y ago
Check out https://github.com/kieraneglin/pinchflat https://github.com/kieraneglin/pinchflat or https://github.com/meeb/tubesync https://github.com/meeb/tubesync You have to install them on a server or desktop, but they can both snip out sponsored sections from videos.
johnnyanmac 2y ago
>and you can whitelist whole channels which I do for some niche channels I subscribe to Honestly, these are ads that actually support the content I watch. So that's why I keep the adroll by default. AFAIK Google isn't getting any cut of it and that makes me feel good.
- torlok 2y ago
  What's the point of this? Nobody's getting a cut unless you use the affiliate link, and it's in the description anyway. You're just watching your favourite creator say how much they love ExpressVPN through gritted teeth.
  - johnnyanmac 2y ago
    CC's get paid for the sponsorship on top of any affiliate links. The RAID ads are the most obnoxious thing ever, but you dig through and realize even a tiny 2k sub channel can get a few hundred out of it (at this level you are getting maybe a few dozen dollars a month in YT ads) and you completely realize why they "sell out". I can only imagine the kind of cash moderate sized YouTubers (the 100-300k range) can get (i know a 400k YouTube disclosed half their revenue came from ad rolls, and their revenue was enough to live humbly. >You're just watching your favourite creator say how much they love ExpressVPN through gritted teeth. Which one of us likes every aspect of our job? Or every order/request of a customer? Gotta do what you gotta do.
- ndriscoll 2y ago
  I don't understand this sentiment. Are you buying a product with a tracking code? If not, it's not supporting anyone, and watching a recording of a sales pitch you're not interested in is just wasting your time.
  - godelski 2y ago
    > Are you buying a product with a tracking code? If not, it's not supporting anyone Not all ads are equal. Most ad segments are performed with a direct transaction: advertiser hands YouTuber money, YouTuber puts ad in their content. There may be additional parts of the deal such as tracking codes, but that's not how it works. The YouTuber gets the ad money, even if the video is not watched. Though that does not mean you should skip the ad, because the videos have heatmaps and no one would advertise if the segment was always "cold". Though what the OP is saying is you can send strong signals (to both the advertiser AND the YouTuber) as to what ads you're willing to watch and not. In fact, in this way, it is a great tool for making a more efficient market as it increases information quality. But only under the assumption it is both pervasive and not used bluntly.
bdw5204 2y ago
I also use Tubular on Android. The one caveat is that Youtube changes seem to break the app on a regular basis so you do need to periodically return to the Github repo to update it.

stavros 2y ago

That sounds useful, thanks! Odd that it's not on any of the stores (eg F-droid).

Joe_Cool 2y ago
It is in the Izzyondroid repo: https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/org.polymorphicshade.tubular https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/org.polymorphicshad... I can also highly recommend the app sponsored by Louis Rossmann: Grayjay. It can do everything that Tubular does and much, much more. It also uses a plugin architecture so you don't have to wait for an update of the app when Youtube blocks it again. https://grayjay.app/ https://grayjay.app/ It's also on the Play Store but without any plugins due to Google policy.
- stavros 2y ago
  Thank you! I've added the repo and will look at Grayjay now.

anotherhue 2y ago

yt-dlp has a sponsorblock integration that removes the segments from the downloaded file.

wanderingmind 2y ago
Yes I use it in Desktop/laptops, but integrating it in Android through termux was a pain. I recently found out about [Seal](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.junkfood.seal/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.junkfood.seal/) which seems to provide a front end for yt-dlp in Android. Might try this out soon.
- pxc 2y ago
  I use Seal all the time when people send me links to videos on social media, since, lacking the apps and accounts, I can't reliably or conveniently get them to play at the present stage of enshittification of those platforms. Seal is great! Definitely give it a try.
- smahs 2y ago
  I first found Seal which uses arai2 under the hood. After getting used to Seal, I had to start using yt-dlp with aria2 on linux as well. The only nitpick is that you can't get multiple parallel downloads with Seal.
Ruthalas 2y ago
You can also mark segments in the downloaded files with that combination of tools, which is useful and non-destructive.

seanw444 2y ago

I've been using NewPipe X which is very similar, but now has comment reply viewing, which I really value. Does Tubular have that now?

aembleton 2y ago
What's comment reply viewing? Do you mean viewing the replies to a comment because Tubular can do that.
aqfamnzc 2y ago
Yes, they added comment replies functionality a little while ago.

KetoManx64 2y ago

Check out https://github.com/kieraneglin/pinchflat https://github.com/kieraneglin/pinchflat or https://github.com/meeb/tubesync https://github.com/meeb/tubesync You have to install them on a server or desktop, but they can both snip out sponsored sections from videos.

johnnyanmac 2y ago

>and you can whitelist whole channels which I do for some niche channels I subscribe to Honestly, these are ads that actually support the content I watch. So that's why I keep the adroll by default. AFAIK Google isn't getting any cut of it and that makes me feel good.

torlok 2y ago
What's the point of this? Nobody's getting a cut unless you use the affiliate link, and it's in the description anyway. You're just watching your favourite creator say how much they love ExpressVPN through gritted teeth.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  CC's get paid for the sponsorship on top of any affiliate links. The RAID ads are the most obnoxious thing ever, but you dig through and realize even a tiny 2k sub channel can get a few hundred out of it (at this level you are getting maybe a few dozen dollars a month in YT ads) and you completely realize why they "sell out". I can only imagine the kind of cash moderate sized YouTubers (the 100-300k range) can get (i know a 400k YouTube disclosed half their revenue came from ad rolls, and their revenue was enough to live humbly. >You're just watching your favourite creator say how much they love ExpressVPN through gritted teeth. Which one of us likes every aspect of our job? Or every order/request of a customer? Gotta do what you gotta do.
ndriscoll 2y ago
I don't understand this sentiment. Are you buying a product with a tracking code? If not, it's not supporting anyone, and watching a recording of a sales pitch you're not interested in is just wasting your time.
- godelski 2y ago
  > Are you buying a product with a tracking code? If not, it's not supporting anyone Not all ads are equal. Most ad segments are performed with a direct transaction: advertiser hands YouTuber money, YouTuber puts ad in their content. There may be additional parts of the deal such as tracking codes, but that's not how it works. The YouTuber gets the ad money, even if the video is not watched. Though that does not mean you should skip the ad, because the videos have heatmaps and no one would advertise if the segment was always "cold". Though what the OP is saying is you can send strong signals (to both the advertiser AND the YouTuber) as to what ads you're willing to watch and not. In fact, in this way, it is a great tool for making a more efficient market as it increases information quality. But only under the assumption it is both pervasive and not used bluntly.

bdw5204 2y ago

I also use Tubular on Android. The one caveat is that Youtube changes seem to break the app on a regular basis so you do need to periodically return to the Github repo to update it.