app for Android TVs and TV boxes. Featuresno ads | SponsorBlock |
adjustable playback speed | 4k and higher | 60fps | HDR | does not
require Google Services | helpful international community.
Features
Adblocking
SmartTube 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
SmartTube 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 SmartTube you cannot submit new
segments (TVs and TV remotes aren’t great devices for such precise
operations).
Casting
To cast videos from your phone (or other devices), you must link
that device to your TV. Unlike the original YouTube app, SmartTube
does not automatically show up when you are in the same wifi
network. How to link your smartphone and TV:
● open SmartTube and go to settings
● go to “link devices” (2nd option)
● open your YouTube app on your phone, go to settings > watch on
TV
● click on connect using TV-code and enter the code from your
TV
Picture-in-Picture (PiP)
SmartTube 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 SmartTube. This bridge app can intercept the System’s
attempts to open the original YouTube app and open SmartTube
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, to enable voice search support you need to:
● uninstall the original YouTube app (no root required on Amazon
FireTV stick)
● download and install the Amazon Bridge SmartTube
app_https://kutt.it/stn_bridge_amazon (e.g. via Downloader for
AFTVnews)
On all other Android devices, sadly root is required to enable
this:
● root your device (search for a guide for your specific
device)
● uninstall the official YouTube app using root (adb shell pm
uninstall com.google.android.youtube.tv)
● download and install the ATV Bridge SmartTube
app_https://kutt.it/stn_bridge_atv (e.g. via Downloader for
AFTVnews)