Enshittification proceeding nicely. I use Freetube on the desktop and Newpipe on my Android phone. I have ExpressVPN on my router.
this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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Freetube probably
The "best content":
For me it's almost the same, but the text on the thumbnail are in Hungarian, one is a clip channel of a crappy Hungarian Twitch streamer, and one is one of those channels that plagiarize content via translation and got his fame by plagiarizing an English video accusing all furries with zoophilia.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Change the VPN server/location.
That's why VPNs give you hundreds of options. You should be changing your VPN location anyway based on the pseudo-profile you want. VPNs aren't magic, they're just tools.
Other options include:
Searching for the video with DDG or Startpage and playing the video via their search
Using an Invidious frontend
I have this set up on my router. My wifi is blanket tunneled through a VPN. For annoying sites that restrict access like reddit, my router routes through a specific VPN server that doesn't (yet) get blocked (I don't post/comment/browse, but occasionally find a post that answers a question). That way it works on my whole home network, regardless of device.
Same could be done for YouTube presumably, but maybe a little more complicated (reddit seems to work with a single /32 address).
Plus, it's fun to set up---MikroTik router, Mullvad, and an ARM SBC doing the VPN duties for me, but myriad ways to get it working for other configurations.
The very, very best content. Content so beautiful it makes you go "hmmm, what beautiful content". Can't serve no wonderful content with that nasty VPN on, no sir.
Here are some options for Android as well.
They only work half the time though.
They work fine for me, you just have to keep them updated.
Google has been fighting them and "AI" scrapers recently.
Revanced on Android has been working quite nicely for me
Same, I've had my current version for 3 months now and if it stops working I just immediately update it.
I've been using tubular for ages and never really had any issues. Bonus, you can download the videos/audio if you want to listen to it later while in the road!
I've been using newpipe for years and I only get issues when en Google go on a shit bender about ad blockers. Then, after a day, or a few days at the most, it gets updated and sorted.
If you turn VPN off, you lose.
Exactly!!!
The only time I had this issue, I jus used ytdl-p to bypass while still keeping my VPN up. The video was not really worth it, but at least I could watch it.
I'm on proton vpn and it works fine for me. I'm using YouTube through Firefox though, not the app, because fuck the app
Exactly the Same. But that's how I got this message.
No issues here yet. Proton vpn with brave. Both have been good about finding the work around and updating so far for me. Hit a wall, but by the next day they fix it. It's a continuous battle to be sure, but no long term issues for me so far.
Youtube does a/b testing so it’s possible your account just hasn’t been affected yet.
YouTube has been trying to block VPNs for months now. Especially one that offers a free one like Proton. Just switch your VPN server till one works. They're always playing tag.
"Tag"? I think you mean Whac-a-Mole...
I am also on Proton VPN. 2 days ago Google search wouldn't allow me to search at all because it couldn't confirm my age.
I switched to a different server and it worked, but that shouldn't have made a difference, since I was sigbed into the same google account.
Strangely enough, this happened about 30 ish hours after I started self hosting my own searxng.
Sites will block content or require age verification by state, so if you're connected to a VPN server located in one of those states you'll see stuff like that.
The server I am connected to was in Canada. Its the same server I almost always connect to. If I am not connected to that one, I am connected to one in my home state for speed. My state does not require age verification to ask google what Showtime's the nearest movie theater has.
Utter BS on their part. Time to go read books!
Host Invidious locally...
On my smartphone?
You probably can with Termux lol
Can proton spin up new vpns? How does yt find out?
Lots of connections from one IP