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On March 13, popular third-party YouTube app Vanced announced that it would be shutting down its operations after receiving legal pushback from Google.
The app's developers took to Twitter to share the news. They tweeted:
"Vanced has been discontinued. In the coming days, the download links on the website will be taken down. We know this is not something you wanted to hear but it's something we need to do. Thank you all for supporting us over the years."
"We know this is not something you wanted to hear but it's something we need to do."
However, the developers revealed that fans of the app could use existing versions of the software without updates for around two years.
Why was YouTube Vanced so popular, and what were its features?
While Google depends on advertisements to monetize YouTube, Vanced allowed users to block video ads on the streaming platform for free.
This feature made it popular amongst a legion of tech-savvy Android users, who side-loaded the third-party app to enjoy YouTube's premium features at no cost.
However, some content creators disliked the fact that the app removed advertisements from videos. The removal of ads essentially meant lesser revenue for monetized channels, whose viewers were using the modded version of YouTube.
Furthermore, the app also had a feature called SponsorBlock, which detected and skipped sponsored segments in a video. However, its developers addressed the complaints with the addition of an option that allows users to whitelist their favorite YouTuber's ads.
Other features of the third-party YouTube app
The third-party app also came with background play for YouTube Music and brightness control.
Its developers restored the dislike button count after Google recently removed it from the official version.
Explaining the legal issue behind the shutdown
According to Google's cease-and-desist order, Vanced has to change their logo (which is quite similar to YouTube's). All links and references to the YouTube website or videos also have to be removed.
Some sources cited that YouTube Vanced operated in a legal gray area, which might be true for its operations in some countries. However, the app itself is not legal, like any other modded version of an original digital IP, which is protected by copyright laws. This is what allowed Google to send the cease-and-desist order.
In contrast, users who sideloaded the app were not committing illegal activities. Google's terms of service for YouTube do not explicitly mention legal repercussions for using a third-party client for the service.
Since the discontinuation announcement, many users have been wondering whether Google's legal order was due to Vanced's recent NFT launch.
Last month, the developers of the third-party client released their own NFT, which might have caught Google's attention.
Previously, they utilized referrals to Brave browser and Adguard extension to monetize their platform without using advertisements.
With the platform's discontinuation, the focus now remains on other third-party YouTube clients like NewPipe, SkyTube, LibreTube, and more.
Some of these alternatives are also at risk of facing legal action from Google. However, it is expected that open-source platforms like NewPipe will survive discontinuation due to community support.
