From time to time, I check in on projects like NewPipe, PipePipe, BravePipe, Tubular, and LibreTube to see whether anything has changed since the last time I tried them. In other words, whether functionality or usability has improved, or whether long-standing bugs have finally been fixed. But honestly, it often feels like nothing really changes - at least not in ways that are visible to the user. I know I could go through the changelogs to see the actual work being done, but the impression I get is that developers are focusing on minor things instead of addressing the biggest issues that users actually struggle with.

PipePipe, BravePipe, and Tubular are basically forks of NewPipe, with such small differences between them that it hardly matters which one you install.
LibreTube, on the other hand, seems to be a more independent project (though still based on the Pipe API, as far as I know). It's the only one with a genuinely modern and appealing UI, but unfortunately it develops at a snail's pace. Sometimes it feels abandoned or like it's just a side project maintained by a single person in their free time - despite having hundreds of listed contributors. Bugs remain open for months without anyone being assigned to them.

The biggest shared weakness across all of these apps is the lack of proper search filters.
You can't filter by views, date, or rating. You can't refine results by type (video, channel, playlist, movie). You can't limit by upload time (last hour, today, this week, this month, this year). You can't even filter by duration.
I honestly don't understand how people are supposed to use a video platform without filters. For example: if I want to find videos about Android development from the last month that are longer than 20 minutes, I have to manually scroll through endless results. That's absurd.

Another thing that bothers me: NewPipe and its forks don't just include YouTube as a source, but also SoundCloud, media.ccc.de, FramaTube, Bandcamp, BiliBili, NicoNico, etc. Honestly, who's asking for those? When people download an alternative to YouTube, they want a good YouTube client - not a bloated "all-in-one" app.

I did try the new nightly builds of NewPipe, since the team is rewriting large portions of the code to make it more stable and modern. But honestly, it doesn't feel all that different from the main stable release.

I'd really like to switch to a proper unofficial YouTube client, but every single project has some critical shortcomings. And that keeps me stuck using the official YouTube app - which unfortunately still has no real competition.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Do you also feel like these projects are stagnating, or am I missing something?

Im working my way to eventually delete socials like IG / YT, etc. But I enjoy pop culture and want to be informed on all my favorite bands, etc. Is Blusky safe? Or do they somehow trace back to Google, Amazon, etc. somehow?

I've been degoogling my phone (Samsung Galaxy) for some time. Now i want to take the next step and replace Android with something like GrapheneOS. Which specific OS can i install on my phone? How do i change the OS? Anything i should check to NOT do so that i don't fuck up my phone? I don't understand complex tech concepts so please be as clear as possible

I've been wondering, since i want to stop using google to transfer data from my phone to my computer.

I haven't decided on Google Keep alternatives yet

Is there something like Degoogle on Lemmy? Does anyone know? If not, I was thinking of creating a Degoogle community on Lemmy as an alternative to Reddit. What do you think?

enter the testing phase in October 2025, and developers will be given access in March 2026. In September 2026, actions will start to be taken in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brazil. Later in 2027, it will be expanded globally as well.

Article links https://www.thetechoutlook.com/news/apps/google-to-block-unverified-android-app-sideloading-via-third-party-app-providers-starting-next-year-in-2026/

So we cooked? Google will blocked and banned appdownloadedf outside of PlayStore

I used Gemini every now and then as my only Google app installed, but then a message appeared saying some chats might be checked by Google developers for “quality checking”. So… now my phone is finally Google free!

I'm trying to recover my account Google but it appears like this please help me out professionals

Hello. I got notification from play store so randomly last night about my tiktok app that is installed and ready to open, I installed tiktok 2-3 days ago, but have not opened it yet. Can this be cause of this message? Or is it scam message from app pretending to be play store? Cause I also saw play store icon on the notification

Hello,

I am looking to replace as much as possible Google and similar US products, but also looking for a bit of comfort if possible. I am looking for Proton services as they have quite good opinions and wide variety of products, but they premium costs 9,99CHF/month and it would be useful. Do you think it is worth it for a sake of comfort or I should rather split my services to many providers and probably free?

1. Password Manager -> started testing Proton Pass
2. Mail -> started testing Proton mail
3. Browser -> Vivaldi (Is this or Mullvad better?)
4. Search Engine -> Startpage (Considering QWANT and Swisscows)
5. Drive -> Proton drive
6. VPN -> currently Express VPN, but sometimes slow (considering switch to Proton Pass)
7. AI -> Le Chat (to be tested)
8. Navigation app -> not yet chosen, any recommendations?
9. Translator -> DeepL (I see no competition)
10. Operating System -> Ubuntu
11. ...... Maybe I forgot something important?

In bold I wrote the services, I am quite confident to use as I see no alternative. For others I am still considering if it is good to spend money of Proton services or should I go other way and if there are better alternatives i.e. for browser or AI. I heard that sometimes Proton apps implement changes very slowly if something does not work, but maybe I am wrong.

Any good website that can remove my personal information thank you

Yeah, basically that. But I want to transfer my steam and bank account to another mail service, could Proton or Tuta work for what I'm looking for?

How do I make the tab title show what was searched instead of "Startpage Search Results?"

I recently switched to Startpage and have been enjoying it but I noticed tab titles are not what you searched, which is annoying. Is there any way to fix this?

Thanks for any input!

Any method to disable or delete forced auto update software? My phone android is 13 btw

The last step in our degoogle journey is deleting our account. I worry that deleting it may result in a random service emailing my gmail and I don’t have access to it locking me out

My question is, what was everyone’s experience after not having a gmail account? Were you locked out of anything, unable to change to another services primary email, or any notable situations?

Is it recommended to nuke my gmail inbox and sit on an empty account for a bit? Everything’s moved over to another email service

I’ve been with gmail for about 15 years, can hardly imagine life without it… But i’m determined to :)

I do believe in our combined efforts to make change or halt irrational, unfounded and shortsighted measures by governments and/or private actors that affect people on a global scale.

I am of course talking about YouTube (and Google's) recent shenanigans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5TXF5_km2Q

🍑! Until we see some improvement or advances, are alternative platforms one answer for those of us that are merely consumers and not creators? Like Odysee https://odysee.com , Nebula https://nebula.tv/ , WeVidi https://www.wevidi.net/ , Curiostiy Stream https://curiositystream.com/ , etc.

In the process of De-Googling, In majority of the sites I have registered with GMail and Phone Number linked to both, if I try to register with new mail like Tuta or Proton, they ask for Phone Number which is bounded to GMail Account, some of them don't give option to change mail id. What can I do?

Hi, this is my first step towards degoogle.I still use Google products, but I don't have to change everything from one moment to the next. Even small steps are a success. 😀

This firefox plugin has been a great help after 20 years of autotyping google into the search bar

Many people in the DeGoogling process still have a Google Account due to multiple reasons, and start with smaller steps, like switching the search engine and browser.

One warning I give is to check the Web & App Activity section inside the privacy settings of your account. People with an Android phone may not know this, but every time you open something on your phone, it tells the mothership.