Google just broke all third-party YT clients, including yt-dlp; a full JS implementation is now required.

Otoh, you also have Odysee and PeerTube to move your own content to.

Beginning very soon, you'll need to have the JavaScript runtime Deno installed to keep YouTube downloads working as normal.

if only you could read 😔

Well the problem for google is that Youtube MUST be accessible to almost any internet user in the world - that's a key reason why it's so ubiquitous.

The reason this cat and mouse game has lasted as long as it has in the first place is because any method that is currently being quashed has a solution lying in another user agent that youtube can't kill.

If one day YT sets a "minimum requirements" page on their website to access their content, they've immediately ceded market share to the next upstart. Imagine if they broke viewing for all of the countless cheap (and e-waste) phones, tablets, low end IOT devices, "smart TVs", and so on because they place a requirement that the device cannot meet. Those users will not throw away their hardware - they'll migrate to the first available alternative way to watch content.

As long as YT caters to the lowest common denominator (Their business model essentially binds them to do so), there will always be a software/hardware environment that these tools can spoof. The moment that stops being the case, people look for other options.

A similar analogy would be how Microsoft handled the windows 11 requirements - the strict requirements locking out years upon years of hardware has resulted in a substantial amount of users finding workarounds for their machines (like windows 10 IOT LTSC), or to even jump to linux entirely. They abandoned the entry level users, so entry level users are abandoning them.

Android is different because there are no alternatives to cellphones except Apple. On the web, there are other ways to share video. So Google can maybe lock YouTube down, but it can't lock you down.

Many of us use 3rd party browsers a stop-gap measure. We'd like to leave the platform entirely, but we are still interested in some of the content there, so we're OK with the cat-and-mouse game for now, knowing that if Google goes hardcore blocking mode that we will walk away and be better human beings for it.

They turn it into an app-only platform just like with many PRC-based apps. Literally, some of those platforms doesn't even have a web or desktop mode.

I tried using Baidu Maps web to look at my old neighborhood (I was born in mainland China) for nostalgia, and the site repeatedly automatically attempts to download the .apk like every tap I make on the site. Wtf lol. The site probably detected the useragent and keeps nagging me about their app.

I tried browsing a random popular online store to see what it's like for curiosity (天猫), but it asked for a sign in. Like wut? Even Amazon, Ebay, Bestbuy doesn't do that. PRC is actually just late stage cyberpunk capitalism.

This is gonna be the future for every big-corp stuff. App only, real ID and phone number verification required. Probably even scan your face.

We need a Meshtastic-based "internet" to actually decouple from big corps have control our infrastructure to have real freedom.

Someone give it to me straight, what is the endgame of this cat and mouse game?

A mandatory account with paid subscription.

The end game is to take full control. If Google implements Widevine on YT, and especially Widevine L1, that'll be their Hiroshima bomb for both third-party front-ends and downloaders, and even non-Android, ChromeOS, Apple, or Windows platforms as far as OS goes and non-Chrome or Edge browsers.

Like, say Google implemented Widevine L1 on YT streams at some point in the future, it would be entirely feasible that you'd be looking at Netflix-style lockdowns to Edge on Win11, or even Chrome on Win11 for that matter, with both SecureBoot and TPM2 in place, if you wanted to watch YT on PC in the future, else you'd be limited to Rokus to watch it.

Your new monitor likely has DRM features built in that are already being utilized by Netflix and others. Youtube is next on the line

I mean sure, OP's title is somewhat clickbaity but it's kind of true though. YouTube have broken compatibility with all existing unofficial clients. It's good that yt-dlp are managing to work around it. I expect many other clients will follow suit but some of them may be unable to install additional dependencies and remain broken.

Ultimately, what is the last straw that will break the camel's back? Every client/consumer will have their breaking point.

I cancelled YT Premium after paying pretty much since Google Music was a thing. The price keeps going up ($14/month now here in the US), and Lite is meh even for the discounted price (e.g. no background play I think?).

They just keep building the wall higher and higher, while they survive only because creators keep filling it with content. Nobody is watching "YouTube Originals" or their first party content. YouTube exists solely because of third party creators.

Not only that but I can survive with Brave or Firefox with UBO or whatever. It's not that hard to avoid the ads, even if it's a little inconvenient vs being able to use the app.

It’s annoying but I guess they’re just evolving their anti spam mechanisms, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

JS is one of the most popular scripting languages anyway so having it as a requirement shouldn’t hinder anyone.

And not to throw shade at the people who designed yt-dlp, but designing a tool to “scrap” the content of an evolving platform in a different language (with different tooling etc) than the one said platform is expecting to be consumed by might have been a mistake

For now, it's probably going to break at some point too. Invidious, FreeTube, and Grayjay are all screwed atm, and yt-dlp can be fixed by installing Deno and the PyPi version of that front-end though.

It has never worked for me. Always within minutes of an update or install, videos stop buffering and the whole thing is bricked.

Not that I’m trying to criticize you for it, but we all should have been on that a long time ago

Overheard at the last shareholders conference. “Until everyone empties all their ecoin & change jars and the only things left to eat are those mysterious Budding’s sandwich meats with some shit ass processed excuse for a loaf of bread.” This is where we want the average American citizen to be living/existing/panicking.” I dunno his name, but it was for sure a rich, old, white dude. A real Montgomery Burns type looking MF’er. I dunno? They all look the same to me. EDIT: Apparently I fit that demographic according to the young ‘uns visiting us. Although they think I look like “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski”.

The market that accesses YouTube from a PC or Mac is shrinking rapidly.

They would prefer you use one of the apps and at some point that will be the majority, if it isn't already

Which extension are you referring to? Is it the standard Wayback Machine extension or a youtube specific one?

NewPipe as well, without any update either.

YT Revanced is not a 3rd party client. It (and all vanced patches) work by taking the original app and patching the code directly, often simply to bypass sections of it entirely.

Let's take background playback for example, the app has that functionality but it checks if the user has a premium subscription or not before allowing it. Revanced simply removes that check by jumping over the code and always returning true.

Grayjay allows many alternative sources, and PeerTube

I've never had to "include a valid cookie", though there's been various problems and they can vary from video to video.

My self hosted downloader similarly didn't skip a beat.

Do you mind to elaborate?

Well.. the only available option to them for DRM that will work on all devices is Widevine L3 which is entirely bypassable. Spend a few hours on the net and you can figure out how to do it too.

Came here to say this after giving it 24 hours in case it was just lucky timing

However, now if I try to watch a YT vid in Firefox, I get the "Oops something went wrong" right when the Ad should have popped up

Can't you just set inv.nadeko.net as the default instance? I thought Freetube was an invidious client, no?

upcoming.

What about upcoming and not yet implemented do u not understand?

"Oh but my "shit client x" still works".

Really steeeve? 🤷‍♂️

Not with a VPN...

What I don't understand. Like, they know people hate shitty ads.

If they had like, literally any level of vetting on the ads, people might actually watch them. But its all fucking scams or podcasts of lies pretending to be ads etc.

I know it costs money to have people but sales people serve a purpose.