YouTube Vanced is a modded version of YouTube for Google’s Android operating system that adds much needed features to the client. Features that it adds include background playback, ad-blocking, sponsor-blocking, and more.
YouTube Vanced installation
Installation of YouTube Vanced is not as straightforward as heading to Google Play to install the latest version. What you need to do is install the latest Vanced Manager from the project website first on the device.
Once done, start the application to install the latest required components. The manager displays them and you need to install MicroG and YouTube Vanced (in that order). Since they are not offered via Google Play, it is necessary to allow the installation from this source (Vanced Manager), but the program reminds you of that.
MicroG is a framework designed to allow applications to run on systems where Play Services is not available. The developer forked MicroG so that it can be used by apps that require Google Authentication.
YouTube Vanced Configuration
You can start YouTube Vanced after both components have been installed. The interface looks identical to that of the YouTube application, and there is a chance that you won’t notice a difference on the first screen because of that.
First thing you may want to do is open the Settings of the application and open the “Sponsor Block settings” and “Vanced settings” to go through the configuration once.
Sponsor Block is not enabled by default; it is a component that uses crowd-sourced data to skip sponsored messages in videos. Works really well for popular channels that use sponsorship messages. Just toggle the option to enable it.
Vanced settings are quite extensive. You may use them, among other things, to:
- Change preferred video quality on mobile and Wi-Fi.
- Override the maximum device video resolution.
- Change the preferred video speed.
- Override the default codec.
- Enable the hiding of Home ads (experimental feature).
- Disable YouTube Stories.
- Disable End Cards.
- Disable Info Card buttons.
- Disable branding watermark.
- Disable cast button.
- Enable tablet miniplayer.
- Enable comments location.
- Enable Home search bar.
- Enable dark theme.
- Enable automatic repeat.
- Disable full HDR brightness.
- Enable experimental player.
- Enable swipe controls for brightness and volume.
All of these options are added to the YouTube options provided by the official application. Google users may sign-in to their account using YouTube Vanced to manage subscriptions and get all the benefits associated with the account.
The Experience
YouTube Vanced offers features, such as background play, that should have been part of the official YouTube application. While the installation procedure may deter some Android users who prefer to download and install applications only from Google Play, it is well worth for others who want more control over YouTube on their devices.
Vanced is open source and you may check the source code of the components on the developer’s GitHub page.
Image Source: XDA Developers
