PHNewPipe: Open-Source Streaming Client
NewPipe is a libre, lightweight streaming front-end for Android designed to provide a privacy-focused experience without proprietary dependencies. It functions by parsing website data or utilizing internal APIs, eliminating the requirement for Google Play Services or user accounts.Technical Specifications
| Category | Details |
| Android Version | 5.0 and up |
| Architecture | Independent of YouTube API and Google Play Services |
| Data Fetching | Website parsing, internal APIs, and official service APIs (e.g., PeerTube) |
| Privacy | No account required; no proprietary libraries or frameworks |
Core Features
- Playback Control: Supports resolutions up to 4K, background audio-only streaming, and Popup mode (Picture-in-Picture).
- Content Discovery: Search for videos, audio, channels, playlists, and albums. Supports language-specific filtering on YouTube.
- Subscription Management: Subscribe to channels locally without an account, receive new video notifications, and organize channels into groups.
- Library & Playlists: View/search watch history, access remote playlists, and create/manage local playlists within the app.
- User Interface: Toggle visibility for subtitles/CC, video descriptions, tags, related videos, and comments.
- Extended Functionality: Download video/audio/subtitles, open content in Kodi, and manage age-restricted material.
Supported Services
- YouTube and YouTube Music
- PeerTube (and all instances)
- Bandcamp
- SoundCloud
- media.ccc.de
Changelog (Latest Version)
New
- Added warning popup regarding ongoing Google certification for Android apps (#13282, #13292, #13298).
Improvements
- Feed: Randomized update order for outdated subscriptions (#13161).
- UI/UX: Prevented stacking of comment pages (#13213).
- Navigation: VideoDetailFragment now forcefully catches click events uncaught by child elements (#13203).
- Error Handling: Added FAQ link to "Sign in to confirm not a bot" exception messages (#13310).
Fixes
- Corrected comment replies header layout when avatar images are missing (#13241).
- Resolved subtitle post-processing error that caused loss of original exceptions (#13256).
- Fixed Tablet Mode bug where related items remained visible after exiting fullscreen when disabled (#13037).
- Fixed UI bug where controls remained visible when resuming playback via double tap (#13030).
- Fixed
getQuantityinconsistencies and updated documentation (#13293).
Development & CI
| Category | Update Details |
| Build Tools | Upgraded Android Gradle Plugin to 9.0.0 (#13136, #13190). |
| Codebase | Ongoing Kotlin conversion; general code cleanup (#13028, #13131). |
| Optimization | Enabled lint checks and resource shrinking; significant APK size reduction (#13194). |
| Libraries | Migrated from Picasso to Coil (#13272); accommodated Extractor changes (#13148). |
| Dependencies | Updated Gradle and dependencies to latest stable releases (#13276). |
| CI/CD | Upgraded GitHub Actions for Node 24 compatibility and latest versions (#13141). |