Something from Google I just cannot avoid using

Using /e/OS Applications
1

I mean, it’s YouTube. I bet a lot of you guys also can’t.
I have checked some of the possible “alternatives”, but all of them lacks something original YouTube has, e.g. good search tool, a way to comment in the videos, videos recently uploaded, stable video player, 2K and 4K video access…

My tests:

NewPipe:
It “works”, but all videos shown are 3 days or more old, it doesn’t show you the videos that have been recently uploaded, it took days. This a real con for me.

SkyTube:
It doesn’t have the same issue from NewPipe, especially if you use SkyTube Extra, however, I could find a way to make the video play without the brightness at 100%, this can be annoying at night time, the screen gets too bright.

Invidious:
Not an actual app, just a website front-end for YouTube which claims to be private. It lacks a featured search tool like YouTube does.

VidLii:
Not an actual app, just a website front-end, very dated.

YouTube Vanced:
It has been the best one so far, however, it’s not open source, since most of it is basically YouTube patched with useful features implemented by them and also YouTube paid features by default.

Do you guys know any other alternative? More secure, privacy-oriented, but that does not lack the goodies from YouTube?

2

When I understand you right, you are uploading videos to youtube. So you will have an account with which google will spy on you and is making a profile of you. So there is no need for an different anonymous player.

If youtube player not working well for you, you can use the webinterace.

3

I use NewPipe, and in order to get notified of new videos I use Flym (an RSS feed agregator). In NewPipe at the main screen of a channel there is a button in order to have the RSS link of the channel and add it to Flym.

4

Nope, I don’t upload videos, but I like to comment on them… I have a specific account for it, but it’s a protonmail account, no Google account, better than nothing I must say.
Never heard about webinterace, I’ll check it out.

5

Thanks for the tip, I’ll check it up as well. Never heard of flym.

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that’s the web interface https://www.youtube.com/

or have a look here. There is also a PWA available https://pwa-directory.appspot.com/pwas/5083467268227072

7

Did you have to do anything special to get Vanced to work on your device?

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As far as I know the root version of vanced is working, but I never would use YT player which needs root.
Why don’t you use skytube or NewPipe. Both are available on f-droid and working ad good as vanced

9

alexwander and I are alike in that we like to comment and we have seperate accounts made up just for youtube. I like having the “channels” I like right in front of me rather than having to look for them and Vanced has a lot more features than most other apps. I’ve seen it all over the forum and /e/ is suppose to be about letting you have what you personalise your device while maintaining/sharing as much or as little information about yourself as you want. I’ve worked in healthcare for years and before that I had a career in telecommunications. In either field, I found out how easily accessible your “data” is out there.

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Mhm, sorry, but I don’t understand your answer.

Rooting a device makes it unsecure. That’s what I mean. And only for playing movies I won’t root my phone.
But that’s just a well-meant suggestion from me. The decision lies with you.

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I’ll make it simple then. The device that is rooted is not a phone first off so it has no cellular data. Secondly all the accounts on it that apps are logged into are unique and bogus with no real data about me. Third the network it’s used on I has its own private DNS address. I also have a VPN set up with a spoofed location. The device itself is spoofing its own location somewhere else. It’s also not used for anything more than YouTube and surfing for the most part.

Referring to healthcare and telecommunications industries. If you’ve ever filled out a credit application for a cell phone service or filled out a intake form at a doctor’s office all of that demographic data is stored and used by many different entities including the government.

Connect to an open WiFi source at a coffee shop without a VPN then log into a website on your phone rooted or not and a guy with a $20 WiFi scanner from Amazon and a laptop can record all the passwords moving around inside the shop.

I agree you don’t have to make it easy for someone but the idea that a non rooted phone means it’s secure is laughable.

When I checked the /e/ OS on my device after flashing it it showed as rooted. What’s the deal with that anyway if unrooted is supposed to be so secure?

The rest of the support staff have said, “We give you a clean slate and the user does what they want from there with it.” That’s how it should be.

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Thx for the long, very long detailed post. I’m working in.IT/IM part since the good old 80th. So I really know about IT security.

I don’t whant discuss with you about mobile phone security.
As I have written before

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The offical eOS version is prerooted for adb not for local apps. Only to clearify

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I’ve worked in IT too so what’s your point?

I’d rather not discuss mobile phone security with you either. My question was to Alexwander asking if he was able to get Vanced working on his device not for someone’s opinion on what they think I should or shouldn’t be doing with my own device or my personal data.

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admittedly OT:
@harvey186, could you explain me in what way rooting makes the phone unsecure for an IT specialist as you apparently are one?
I am just an advanced user, but I rooted every smartphone I had since 2013. In my (basic) understanding a rooted phone is just the same secure as a non-rooted phone IF you don’t grant root privileges to random apps. This makes the phone ‘relatively’ secure, depending on the user’s knowledge.
e.g. for open source projects that require root I can’t imagine a major security problem. Can you?

16

Thx for the flowers, but I’m also only and advanced user :slight_smile:

With root, some advanced linux commands are ‘free’ for use by apps. For example: getting access to root / system folder with write access. So it’s simple to write an app which will manipulate your whole system, installing a keylogger or malware.
Sure, normally a app is asking for root access. But not hacking apps. They will install what the want without asking for root access.
If an app will need root access, all my alarm lights will go on. Sure, a backup app needs root access to read all partitions and folders for backup and restore. But why do a Video player need access to root ?? No, never will use such an app.

I don’t know what kind of apps with needed root your are using. But really, is here no alternative app without root access ?

Do you allow all your apps access to phone / location / address book / microfon … and so on ? No, you will restrict them.
So why allowing an app access to ALL folders/data on your phone ? But that was not your question.

One other question: Do you using Windows with the admin account ? No, always with a user account without admin rights.
Or on Linux, do you login as root ? No, always as user without root rights. How much programs do you have installed on Linux which needs running under ‘root’ account ? I think none.

So why working different on your phone ?

17

I have forgotten to ask: What is that meaning ? Which opensource project needs root access ??

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https://f-droid.org/de/packages/com.amaze.filemanager/
just one example: it doesn’t need, but it offers the ability.
And since I never had a phone that ran with microG (foss) ootb, I had to install it manually, using different ways to install it and to spoof the signature.

what about apt-get? you don’t need root for that in your (linux)distro? that sounds dangerous to me. I wouldn’t want to use a distro where your packet manager doesn’t need root access to install programs. well, root access is not password protected under android, but I doubt an app can just use root access without asking for it (if it’s not anyway a preinstalled system app that therefore has root rights)

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I’ve been using Invidious for a good couple of months now and apart from hiccups caused by Google trying to crack down on them, no issues. But I’m fine with not being able to comment. Not sure what you mean by the lack of featured search tool, though.

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sure, it installs programs and therefore it needs (not ever) root access. But you will ask for a password.

Your example with a file manager is not good example. because it don’t need root access. It will work as good without root.
And sure, there are opensource apps wich need root for working. For example oandbackup. But regarding backup I have written everything my other post.

Sorry, don’t know what does it stands for :frowning:

MicroG is nothing else as an FOSS replacement of play services (Only to clarify)

And sorry. this I also don’t understand :frowning:

Oh, sure. I think you know what (bad) potential hackers have. never heard that keyloggers have been installed without the knowledge of a user on Windoofs systems ? And why should no one be able to do it on Android ? You know NSA and ‘Bundestrojaner’ and all the other trojans ??