Everyone’s favorite third-party YouTube app could be in trouble
Want some of the cool features of YouTube Premium but don’t want to pay for it? Most Android users might be familiar with YouTube Vanced, a third-party YouTube app that offers users a YouTube Premium-like experience without having to pay for the monthly subscription, but it seems that YouTube Vanced’s time in the sun could be coming to an end.
According to a report Ars Technica, it seems that Google is exploring the idea of creating an Android WebView Media Integrity API. If that sounds very technical, basically what it does is that it allows for websites to check to see if devices accessing them have been modified in any way, like rooted Android phones or jailbroken iOS devices.
What this could mean for third-party apps like YouTube Vanced is that YouTube could essentially detect users coming from the app and then stop them from loading its content. This is because of how apps like YouTube Vanced work. They’re essentially a modified browser that displays videos through WebView and add extra features like ad blockers.
So if this new API were to roll out, it would allow YouTube to put a stop to these types of apps.
While it sounds like a bummer for YouTube Vanced users, there are benefits to these changes. For example, it could be used by banking websites to ensure that the device accessing it has not been modified, which in turn could prevent users from entering their username and password if a keylogger has been installed on their phones.
At this point in time, it is unclear when Google plans to introduce this new API, but if and when they do, it could spell the end of apps like YouTube Vanced.
Source: Android Police