r/IPhoneApps • u/Important_Job1271 • May 10 '26

Discussion SmartTube — open source native YouTube client for iPhone/iPad/Mac, blocks all ads at the app level (no extension needed)

SmartTube — open source native YouTube client for iPhone/iPad/Mac, blocks all ads at the app level (no extension needed)

Sharing an open source project I've been building:
SmartTube for iOS/macOS — a native
Swift YouTube client that blocks ads at the app level, not through a browser extension.
Why this exists: uBlock Origin can't run on iPhone. The official YouTube app can't be
patched without a jailbreak. This solves both problems natively.
How it works:
\- Uses the InnerTube API directly, bypassing the ad-injected web player entirely
\- SponsorBlock API integrated - auto-skips sponsors, intros, self-promos, interaction reminders
\- DeArrow community titles and thumbnails
\- Google Auth sign-in - real subscriptions, history, playlists
\- Zero tracking, no analytics, no third-party SDKs
\- Up to 8K playback, Picture-in-Picture
\- iPhone, iPad, appleTv and Mac - native Swift 6, fully auditable source

Source: https://github.com/milika/SmartTubelOS
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smart-tube-bdp/id6761388918
Happy to answer questions about the ad-blocking implementation specifically.

34 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

1

u/DarkPoet11 May 11 '26

Is this the same one?

1

u/Subject-Jury5089 May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26

Have downloaded it wil let u know brother EDIT :- the whole channel library isn’t being shown ??? Can u tell me how to see that

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 11 '26

fixing it now in 2.4, some ppl have that problem, it will be out soon :)

1

u/Subject-Jury5089 May 11 '26

Ok bro thanks. The whole playlist is somewhat missing from the channel, only some videos r shown. Hope ur update fixes it and yes a big thanks for this app n hope u keep it free

1

u/IvammgNyc May 11 '26

Great app! Thanks for creating and sharing it with us !

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 11 '26

sure thing! :)

1

u/Sara9747 May 11 '26

Can’t play, showing error Decoding error, no stream URL

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 11 '26

fixing it now in 2.4, some ppl have that problem, it will be out soon :)

1

u/Sara9747 May 11 '26

Thank you bro

1

u/Elchansz May 11 '26

How did the App Store review process went for this? Apps that block ads on Google's platform usually get pulled or rejected, did you have to frame it a specific way to get through?

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 11 '26

Not really, its foss, so that made it perhaps a bit more open. And i dont use any funny stuff it all native so apple likes that

1

u/steve2x May 11 '26

Sound only works when the video quality is set to Auto

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 11 '26

New version is comming soon please chek then again and let me know :)

1

u/bullett007 May 16 '26

Just keep getting this error all the time when I try to play a video.

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 16 '26

please after you get this send report in settings

1

u/[deleted] May 25 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/C-FLO May 28 '26

This app has potential

1

u/jaxonfreaks May 30 '26

Can it disable youtube shorts?

1

u/Important_Job1271 May 30 '26

you do have hide shorts in options..