Every so often, YouTube changes something on their site that causes NewPipe to stop working. Usually within a few days, NewPipe pushes an update that fixes this, and we're back in business. Every time this happens, I donate to their Liberapay.
NewPipe has a few features that I like, but let's be real: most people use NewPipe for the 'privacy' feature AKA: blocking ads.
At the risk of being downvoted for having an unpopular opinion: but if circumventing ads is your goal, then just get Youtube Premium in instead of paying for piracy.
Because contrary to popular belief, the majority of that subscription fee is actually distributed amongst the content creators that you watch. And for the majority of genres this pays the creator more than regular ad-revenue.
I don't buy merchandise because I don't like waste, so apart from direct donations (PayPal/Patreon), Youtube Premium is my preferred way of contributing my favorite content creators.
LTT actually did a good job explaining this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDsJJRNXjYI
instead of paying for piracy
I am not paying for piracy, I am paying for an app that makes YT experience somewhat bearable, and lack of ads is only one aspect of it.
If you want to support your favorite creators, do it through different channels than by feeding the corporate beast.
Google is an evil corporation that I'd rather not mingle with. Blocking ads is a side-effect but it's not the main feature for me.
I think the privacy is more about not giving google a comprehensive view of everything you do on the platform than just not seeing ads. If you didn't want ads, you could just watch regular youtube website with ublock origin, even on android firefox supports it.
Most on HN have already fallen for the dichotomy of scrooge mcduck-style capital vs proudhonist pirates.
Meanwhile publishers are caught between these dueling retards and getting squeezed on both ends. Don't forget the scrapers that will hammer your server until it's offline while swapping IPv6s the entire time
"Why isn't anyone building anything anymore durrhurr???"
Well it's because:
A) Google B) You