They are trying their absolute best to make me not become a customer
Already the case with Reddit. My bank and credit cards keep pushing me, but haven’t required it yet - the moment they do, they’re gone. There’s nothing an app can do that a browser can’t also while giving me more control.
There absolutely is something an app can do better than a website in a browser. That being tracking you. But yeah, Youtube in a firefox-based browser with uBlock Origin and Sponsor Block is just so much better than the official app. Sadly Google has become so aggressive with blocking users using a VPN that I cannot use Newpipe or Freetube anymore :(
I’m putting my faith in the DDG tracker blocker feature, but tbh I have no idea if it actually works or not.
According to the newest (2025-08-12) privacytests.org test it is pretty good but for desktop Mullvad Browser and Tor Browser are best.
As for Android: Tor Browser and Firefox Focus were best at that time though neither block advertisements. Firefox Focus does not support installing add-ons and it is highly recommended not to install one in Tor Browser as it will make you stand out from the rest of its users.
Personally I can recommend Ironfox to you. It is the continuation of DivestOS’ Mull Browser (not Mullvad). It is hardened Firefox and asks you on first launch if you would like to install uBlock Origin. I presume most people tab on ‚yes‘, so not installing it would actually make you stand out
I can’t even access the mullvad website or DNS anymore. I’m assuming they haven’t shut down and it’s my isp blocking it (got switched from talktalk to virgin media) and the opera vpn doesn’t work anymore either (I just use it when I need to get around geoblocks) but I don’t know if that’s on their end or mine.
For some reason I’m blocked by reddit on opera on both desktop and mobile, but I can view it on ddg. There’s definitely something weird about opera.
I have librewolf with ublock origin on desktop. I recently installed ddg desktop as well.
on graphene often apps will say they don’t work because there is no playservices but then they work just finw bwcause of workarounds the os has in place, and i have mullvad on which has content blockers on the dns level if ypu activate them.
you can also fake giving them all permissions
on this setup mobile is actually more private i think, because of sandboxing, there is no cookies or refs but also not nealy as many fingerprinting markers that make you look super unique
Ive been having a lot of issues with grayjay too.
Same with PipePipe. Whatever changes Alphabet/Google/Youtube are making are clearly meant to fuck with FOSS apps.
“Darn, I can’t watch youtube without ads.”
google: here it comes!! He’s openi-
“…I’m gonna read a book.”
google: FFFFFFWHAT!?
I use morphe, its a modded version of the actual YouTube app.
I will make an account, generate a new password and save the login data in my password manager. But I draw the line at installing an app. I hate my phone enough as it is
also temp mail if it’s nothing important
Exactly.
Why attach two different versions of the same post?
they were both so pretty looking and i couldn’t decide 🙈
Find 5 differences
Back when Pinterest started, they insisted on an account just to look. Starting back with NoScript, I blocked it out of spite. Continued on with UBlock.
Absolute gem of a username
I hate Walmart with every fiber of my being, but I will say: Walmart allows you to assemble a cart full of items online without an account, while Albertsons does not. I don’t know about Krogers and subsidiaries because honestly if you shop at a King Soopers without an account you’re getting robbed. If you shop at Target I think you’re probably getting robbed regardless.
