YouTube app ads? Read this first!

[Boo Berry]

Unfortunately, blocking ads in the YouTube app can be pretty troublesome, so here's a couple links that should help you understand the situation a bit better;

https://blog.adguard.com/en/how-to-block-ads-on-youtube-for-android/

https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdguardForAndroid/issues/621

Thanks!

EDIT (09/18/2017): AdGuard for Android can't filter/remove ads from the YouTube app anymore, sorry everyone!

https://forum.adguard.com/index.php?threads/apps-where-adguard-for-android-cant-filter-remove-ads-from.25182/

 

[Boo Berry]

UPDATE (05/19/2019): As a follow up to this post, there are now workarounds to getting an ad-free YouTube app experience on Android. The main workaround I'm going to focus on for this follow up post is a modified YouTube app called YouTube Vanced. A quick Q&A time!

Q: What is YouTube Vanced?
A: YouTube Vanced is a modified version of the native YouTube app, meaning the original app has been hacked and modified by a team of developers (which can be found on XDA Developers) to add additional features to the native YouTube app, including the removal of ads and allowing for things like background playback.

Q: Do you need root to use YouTube Vanced?
A: No! It'll work just fine without (or with) root - it's not a requirement! In fact, you can install YouTube Vanced alongside the existing native YouTube app. If you do this though, I'd recommend disabling/uninstalling the native YouTube app so it doesn't interfere with YouTube Vanced.

Q: What about alternative workarounds, like using Parallel Space alongside AdGuard for Windows?
A: While it's true using Parallel Space allows AdGuard for Android (on Nougat and above) to filter apps like YouTube again, there's no guarantee this workaround will always work. Parallel Space targets an Android API Level lower than 24, which allows this to work. Once the Parallel Space developers target API Level 24 or higher, this workaround won't work anymore. In the meantime, running apps in Parallel Space that normally can't be filtered by AdGuard for Android on Android 7.x Nougat and above *can* and *does* work, but your mileage may vary.

Q: Where can I find out more about YouTube Vanced?
A: You can find more about YouTube Vanced from the YouTube Vanced XDA Developers forum thread or the YouTube Vanced alpha site.

Q: Do I need to install the modified MicroG app too?
A: Only if you want to log into YouTube Vanced with your YouTube account.

Q: I'm not interested in a modified YouTube app, are there any alternative YouTube apps worth checking out?
A: Yes there is! For example there's NewPipe which is available in the F-Droid store!

Q: Is there any other alternatives?
A: Well, I suppose you could watch YouTube in a web browser like Google Chrome or Firefox, AG for Android should still be able to remove YouTube ads from web browsers.