Ad-Free App For Watching YouTube Videos On Multiple TV Devices &
Tablets
SmartTubeNext is an advanced YouTube app for Android TVs and TV
boxes, free & open source. It is not a live TV client and does not
support “YouTube TV”.
Disadvantagesno comments stability, voice search and casting
support might be worse than in the official YouTube, depending on
your device; give it a try!
Compatibility
SmartTubeNext requires Android 4.3 or above. It does not work on
non-Android devices (incl. LG or Samsung TVs). On unsupported TVs,
you can use a TV stick or TV box. Though this app technically runs
on smartphones and tablets, it is not optimized for such and offers
no official support!
It has been successfully tested on TVs, TV boxes and TV sticks that
are based on Android, including:
Android TVs & Google TVs (e.g. Philips, Sony)
Chromecast with Google TV & TVs with Chromecast built-in
Amazon FireTV stick (all generations)
NVIDIA Shield
TV boxes running Android (many cheap chinese no-name boxes)
Xiaomi Mi Box
Features Include:
Adblocking
SmartTubeNext does not show any ad banners, preroll ads or ad
intermissions. It not just tries to prevent them, it is literally
programmed to be completely unable to display any ads, so YouTube
cannot slip anything in. This also means you cannot allow ads or
whitelist channels. Some YouTube channels include sponsored
messages in their videos, these can also be skipped, see
SponsorBlock below.
SponsorBlock
SmartTubeNext includes a SponsorBlock integration. From the
SponsorBlock website:
SponsorBlock is an open-source crowdsourced browser extension and
open API for skipping sponsor segments in YouTube videos. […] the
extension automatically skips sponsors it knows about using a
privacy preserving query system. It also supports skipping other
categories, such as intros, outros and reminders to subscribe [and
non-music parts in music videos].
You can select which categories you want to skip in the settings.
Unlike the browser addon, in SmartTubeNext you cannot submit new
segments (TVs and TV remotes aren’t great devices for such precise
operations). Note that SponsorBlock is a free and voluntary project
based on user submissions, so don’t expect it to 100% work every
time. Sometimes, sponsor segments are not yet submitted to the
database, sometimes the SponsorBlock servers are
offline/overloaded.
Casting
To cast videos from your phone (or other devices), you must link
that device to your TV. Unlike the original YouTube app,
SmartTubeNext does not automatically show up when you are in the
same wifi network. How to link your smartphone and TV:
1)open SmartTubeNext and go to settings
2)go to “Remote control” (2nd option)
3)open your YouTube app on your phone, go to settings > General
> watch on TV
4)click on connect using TV-code and enter the code from your
TV
Due to technical limitations, you need to open the app on the TV
before casting; SmartTubeNext cannot automatically wake up the
TV.
Picture-in-Picture (PiP)
SmartTubeNext supports playing videos in PiP mode. This needs to be
enabled under Settings > General > Background playback >
Picture in picture. The video will go into PiP mode when you press
home while playing a video, and also when you press back if enabled
in Settings > General > Background playback (activation).
Adjust Speed
You can adjust the playback speed pressing the speed-indicator icon
(gauge) in the top row of the player. This is remembered across
videos. Some speeds may case frame drops, this is a known
issue.
Voice Search
To enable global voice search, an additional app must be installed
alongside SmartTubeNext. This bridge app can intercept the System’s
attempts to open the original YouTube app and open SmartTubeNext
instead. For this to work, you must uninstall the original YouTube
app. We know this sucks, but you can always reinstall it if you
change your mind. The bridge app will not show up in your launcher
and you do cannot to launch it directly; it is only used internally
by the system’s voice search. On some devices, you need to
explicitly say “Youtube” when searching (e.g. say “youtube cute
cats” instead of just “cute cats”).
On Amazon Fire TV:
1)Uninstall the original YouTube app (no root required)
2)Download and install the Amazon Bridge SmartTubeNext app (e.g.
via Downloader by AFTVnews)
On Google Chromecast with Google TV:
1)Uninstall the original YouTube app (no root required)
2)Download and install the ATV Bridge SmartTubeNext app (e.g. via
Downloader by AFTVnews)
On all other Android devices, sadly root is required to enable
this:
1)Root your device (search for a guide for your specific
device)
2)Uninstall the official YouTube app using root (adb shell pm
uninstall com.google.android.youtube.tv)
3)Download and install the ATV Bridge SmartTubeNext app (e.g. via
Downloader by AFTVnews)
Sign In If Needed To Fix Empty Home section
Requires 100% Clean Install If Not Using My Mod
Subscriptions Are Saved To Account Not Device
Tested On Over 70+ Different TV Devices Including A14Stick/Box,
A13Boxes, A12Boxes, A11Boxes, A10Boxes, A9Boxes, 20+ Diff Rooted
Boxes, 9 Diff A13 Roms, AndroidTV OnnBox/OnnStick, GoogleTV
OnnBox/OnnBox Pro/OnnStick/Onn4kPlus, Chromecast HD/4k,
Gen3FS/Lite, 4kMaxFS, Nvidia Shield, Nvidia Tube + 10 Diff Older
Non-Atv Boxes
Tested On 11 Diff Newer 64 Bit Tablets 11 Inch+ (7 A13/4 A14)
Thank You To All My Testers For Rapid Response
How To Disable Update Nag
Settings > About > Turn Off Both Notify
How To Login Properly On TV Devices/Tablets:
Sign In To Google Account On Another Device
Launch SmartTube On TV Device/Tablet
Settings > Accounts > Sign in
A Code Will Popup On Your TV Device/Tablet
Go To On Signed In Device
Enter Code Exactly As Seen Including Caps/Spaces
Follow/Execute All Prompts On Screen
Must Scroll Down & Select Allow Last Step
TV Device/Tablet Will Now Be Activated!
Enjoy
If Using 3rd Party Launcher Will Need To Clear Data Of Launcher
Before Install For Banner To Show Proper If Switching Mods
How To Use Custom Mod On Newer Tablets:
-To Access Menu Pull Up From Bottom & Hit Back Button
-Tap Categorie Twice If Needed To Clear Menu To See All Videos
-Pull Up From Bottom To View Diff Shorts If Needed
-Sometimes Few Touches May Be Needed To Play Videos
-Pull Up From Bottom/Back Button Goes Back/2-3 Taps To Exit
What If My Tablet Don’t Have A Back Button?
-First Put Tablet Into Developer Mode
-Search Internet How To Add Back Button For Your Device
-You Can Add Back Button….Etc To Bottom Of Every Tablet
Custom Adaptive Mod Info:
Following Compiled Patches Applied
-Fixed multiple country restrictions
-Vpn fix not needed per testers last 8 updates
-Fixed official login on multiple older Chinese boxes
-Known 15 older boxes search issue patch reapplied needed per
testers last 6 updates
-Fixed Official login on multiple Rooted boxes A9 To
A14……..Credits Tesla
*All Tested With Request Contacts….Thank You!