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| Google shuts down YouTube Vanced for legal reasons |
The popular Vanced YouTube app has been shut down due to legal threats from Google. The creators of Vanced YouTube have announced that the project will be discontinued in the next few days and the download link will be removed.
The app will continue to work for anyone who currently installs it via Android without future updates. But it may stop working soon. The owners of Vanced YouTube said they had to shut down the project for legal reasons.
Google recently sent a cease and desist letter to the owners of Vanced YouTube, forcing developers to stop distributing and developing the app.
"We have been asked to remove all mentions of YouTube, change our logo and remove all links to YouTube products," a YouTube executive at Vanced said in a post.
YouTube Vanced is a modified version of the original third-party YouTube app for Android. It allows YouTube users to block all video ads on the platform without the need for a premium subscription.
It also adds features like running in the background without overwhelming the users. After Google removed videos from the service, it gained popularity by restoring the number of likes for videos.
YouTube Vanced also includes a true dark theme which does not show any customization in the official YouTube app for Android.
Google continues its war with third-party applications
The app is the latest victim of the search giant's ongoing crackdown on third-party apps hitting YouTube.
The app was recently renamed Vanced-only and most YouTube references were removed from its site to avoid legal issues with Google.
The company forced two of Discord's most popular music bots to shut down last year, only to begin testing ad-supported YouTube integration with Discord a few weeks later.
Music bots Rythm and Groovy have also avoided advertising throughout the service. It allows Discord users to listen to music together.
Vanced YouTube owner said in a Telegram message: Vanced YouTube has been discontinued. We know you don't want to hear that. But she has to. Vanced YouTube will be shutting down in the next few days. Download link removed. Discord, Telegram chat, and Reddit servers will remain in place temporarily. We would like to thank you all for your support over the years. The current version will continue to work. This is for legal reasons.