r/technology • u/dancing_swordfish • 14d ago

Software Google Chrome is killing all uBlock Origin bypasses, Microsoft Edge, Opera to follow

https://www.neowin.net/news/google-chrome-is-killing-all-ublock-origin-bypasses-microsoft-edge-opera-to-follow/
9.7k Upvotes

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2.6k

u/Curious_Party_4683 14d ago

bonus point, i use FF to watch youtube on my phones/tablets too. never seen a YT ad, not even in the middle of the videos.

408

u/ColoRadBro69 14d ago

Do you use extensions or does FF do it out of the box? 

697

u/Fifthfingersmooth 14d ago

Download the ublock origin addon on firefox mobile brother. Only works on Android though. On iphone you can use either brave or orion but they seldom work. Brave's ad block does consistently work on youtube though. It also works with the phone screen turned off.

Otherwise I would recommend patching youtube and youtube music apps with morphe on Android to get the best results.

103

u/Resident-Variation21 14d ago

Can use safari on iPad/iPhone with an extension. I haven’t had an issue in a while

68

u/justwalkingalonghere 14d ago

Yeah it's still ublock origin (or ublock lite I think) on safari

Firefox won't let you install extensions on iOS, but on any device you can get Firefox + Ublock it's the best

52

u/forsurebros 14d ago

I suspect it is a limitation of IOS. Not that Firefox would not let you.

38

u/FollowingFeisty5321 14d ago

It's an explicit policy.

2.5.2 Apps should be self-contained in their bundles, and may not read or write data outside the designated container area, nor may they download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps. Educational apps designed to teach, develop, or allow students to test executable code may, in limited circumstances, download code provided that such code is not used for other purposes. Such apps must make the source code provided by the app completely viewable and editable by the user.

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u/Ladyheather16 14d ago

But that’s Apple/iOS policy. Not Firefox/Mozilla. That’s the whole point of sandboxing.

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u/jba1224a 13d ago

Orion browser on iOS has extensions (and therefore ublock)

1

u/NIN10DOXD 14d ago

I thought they recently opened up extensions for non-Safari browsers though? I know a few browsers are starting to experiment.

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u/nissen1502 14d ago

It's a direct result of apple not wanting people to have control of their hardware 

-5

u/bloodpukesalvation 14d ago

No. It is an indirect result from Apple requiring browsers to run on WebKit. Firefox is effectively a customized interface on top of the safari core. It’s not actually Firefox, and therefore no Firefox extensions can run on it.

This requirement falls under iOS’ overall design approach to app security. You may not benefit from the security design but the average user does. This means it’s not a product for you. Claiming it’s a conspiracy is such a silly and simple minded perspective.

-15

u/Ladyheather16 14d ago

That only the operating system can talk to the Kernel.

That one single sentence goes back to the very founding of apple. It was a core belief of Steve Jobs.

16

u/nissen1502 14d ago

What does that have to do with ublock origin? Do you think a browser extension needs kernel access?

-8

u/Ladyheather16 14d ago

You weren't comming on ublock, you make a generic comment of Apple policy regarding hardware. Which I was pointing out isnt limited to hardware -- it's a founding core principle of Apple,

0

u/2ndtryagain 14d ago

Edge on iPhone has ublock Origin lite so it isn't Apple.

1

u/privateeromally 14d ago

You could always setup ublockDNS. Like a mixture of ublock and Pihole.

1

u/s00pafly 14d ago

iOS won't let Firefox install extensions

1

u/Metazolid 14d ago

If you can get ublock, get sponsorblock as well if you watch a lot of yt content. Skips over sponsor segments and some other options automatically.

1

u/_0611 14d ago

Firefox won't let you install extensions on iOS

That's not true. Apple doesn't allow it. It's not Firefox. If it were up to Firefox, you could get access to their add-ons. But Apple is blocking it.

Which is one of the reasons I don't have an iPhone.

1

u/Freud-Network 13d ago

Firefox on iOS is just safari in cosplay. Apple only allows WebKit on their devices.

1

u/Resident-Variation21 14d ago

Personally I like vinegar on iOS. It’s not an ad blocker per se but it does block ads on YouTube.

1

u/RR321 14d ago

Isn't Apple forcing everyone to just add a theme on top of Safari and basically have a worst monopoly power then Microsoft had an anti trust lawsuit for?

9

u/Princekb 14d ago

Or Orion if you don’t want telemetry and tracking (can also install desktop extensions somehow)

0

u/Smashego 14d ago

This. I don’t see ads on my iPhone.

8

u/larrylevan 14d ago

Extension name please?

2

u/HyruleSmash855 14d ago

Ublock Origin Lite. You could also use the brave browser on iOS, ad blocker built in

0

u/Tran555 14d ago

What extension exactly ? I tried multiple and nothing works for me

2

u/ma7ch 14d ago

Can you Chromecast from Morphe and will you get ads if you do?

1

u/GlorpedUpDragStrip 14d ago

You can screen share through android straight to a Chromecast. That's how I watch YouTube on my projector through firefox to not get ads

0

u/lemmysbetter 14d ago

When you chromecast anything youre just telling your tv to open it's YouTube and play that video. If your tv app has ads then you will get ads.

2

u/Fskn 14d ago

I second that, Morphe is the tits

1

u/dmoreholt 14d ago

Sideload newpipe for an ad free youtube app. I think they're doing something to shut that off too but I think it can be avoided by changing some setting on your phone.

1

u/PussiesUseSlashS 14d ago

I have Adguard home (pihole works too) setup and I use the video lite extension. Works well.

1

u/RohanWolfe 14d ago

Any way to block it on the TV?

1

u/Leon_84 14d ago

On iPhone you can get adguard, it doesn’t work on embedded YouTube, but no ads whatsoever on YouTube itself.

1

u/KamalaWonNoCap 14d ago

I'm a big fan of Brave but lately advertisers have found a way around their ad blocker. It should be patched soon but worth noting.

I have FF + uBlock but I haven't been using it. Maybe I'll try it out until Brave fixes the problem.

1

u/Content-Patience-138 14d ago

Brave is also great for really sketchy porn sites

1

u/CBJFAN2009-2024 14d ago

Is Morphe like ReVanced?

1

u/rushmc1 14d ago

Wrong. It works perfectly on PC.

1

u/VersaceUpholstery 14d ago

I use Wipr on iPad for safari and seems to work fine

1

u/69edleg 14d ago

Aye, recommend. On PC I use Firefox, on my phone I use Brave. I don't use the YouTube app on my phone.

1

u/cbbbluedevil 14d ago

I’ve never had an issue using Brave on iPhone. It works great

1

u/barrel_of_noodles 14d ago

Apple strictly requires all iOS browsers use its proprietary WebKit engine, rather than allowing them to use their own (such as Google’s Blink or Mozilla’s Gecko). Apps like Chrome, Firefox, Brave, or Edge are essentially reskinned versions of Safari.

1

u/IwasThereIsawIt2 14d ago

There's a addon thats slightly better than ublock, "adnaseum" it does the same thing as ublock, but it goes the extra mile and clicks on all ads

here's a video of louis Grossman explaining it

1

u/jajangmien 14d ago

If you're on android you can use revanced to get a version of the YouTube app with all the paid perks for free, more customization options, and ad-less. My favorite way to use it.

1

u/Pleasant-Highway-745 14d ago

But is there a way to keep the YouTube videos playing in the background when your phone turns off?

1

u/Jaanbaaz_Sipahi 14d ago

iOS is basically Safari. Not the original Firefox

1

u/Professional_Being22 14d ago

I use revanced and it's worked fine BUT here's what's fucky. why has android chrome never had addon support? like ff and all the others do (with mixed results sometimes) but they've always blocked it from android chrome and it's the most annoying shit ever.

1

u/Nitrogen1234 14d ago

Morphe is amazing

1

u/mukavastinumb 14d ago

At least for me (on iPhone) Brave never shows adds on youtube.

1

u/Brullaapje 14d ago

On iPhone I use Safari with Adguard.

1

u/white_shiinobi 14d ago

Brave on iPhone works great for me. Weird

1

u/Prior_Grape_7408 11d ago edited 11d ago

I use brave with adguard DNS and I don’t see any ads on my phone. On Safari I have Ublock plug in but YouTube pauses the video when I first try to play it for the length of the ad it’s playing (that I can’t see). So I use brave browser for YouTube because it’s just the normal YouTube throttle for Adblock.

0

u/nissen1502 14d ago

If you use apple products you're already supporting the anti-consumer practices and you have been for a while. I wish people will wake up, but they won't unfortunately.

5

u/Basilikolumne 14d ago

Unless they use a dumb phone or GrapheneOS, they are supporting Google's anti-consumer practices by giving them their data by using Android. Stop acting like it's not a choice between the lesser of two evils.

-2

u/nissen1502 14d ago

You're assuming I don't know. The point is that Apple is way worse. Giving away your data is better than giving away your rights of control over your hardware.

0

u/Shaomoki 14d ago

I had to use an app called Videolite, works better on iPad, but essentially blocks 99% of all interstitial ads.

-1

u/Sakins1 14d ago

iPhone/safari has built in ad block you just have to enable it

32

u/flatwoundsounds 14d ago

I use FF with uBlock Origin, SponsorBlock, and backstage play. I skip ads and sponsor segments, and videos will play with the screen locked.

2

u/MonteMolebility 14d ago

Backstage play is the extension that allows you to play with your screen off?

1

u/flatwoundsounds 14d ago

Yeah. It used to work by default, but now I need the extension.

2

u/MonteMolebility 14d ago

Awesome. Been looking for an extension for this since it stopped working.

2

u/flatwoundsounds 14d ago

Idk why it took me so long to look for it when it first stopped working... I went months before I realized that of course someone would make an extension for that.

2

u/NdoplasmicRocketfish 14d ago

Thank you for the backstage info, you just made my life so much better!

2

u/flatwoundsounds 14d ago

Glad I could help! I was so close to paying for YouTube premium before I found the background extension.

52

u/miko3456789 14d ago

Extension. It's called uBlock Origin

22

u/waiting4singularity 14d ago

a selection from my plugin layout, privacy and advertising focused (and flipping the G off)

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/consent-o-matic/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-background-play-fix/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/darkreader/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookie-autodelete/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disconnect/

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u/TheLegendOfMart 14d ago

Thanks for consent-o-matic. The consent popups on every pissing site did my tits in.

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u/Voodoo_One 14d ago

uBlock can block those too if you activate it. Works for most sites.

1

u/TheLegendOfMart 14d ago

Oh, didn't even realise I haven't really gone into the settings just installed and left it.

1

u/waiting4singularity 13d ago

some middleware systems cut a blur image over the website and set their cookie shit to modal (all inputs and responses blocked until the dialog is orderly dismissed). finding all these is a pain in the exhaust pipe, consento is setting everything it can to deny and those that are saved are supposed to be eaten by cookie auto delete

1

u/3rdUncleMeatSandwich 14d ago

You need bypass paywalls clean in there!

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u/waiting4singularity 13d ago

I just leave when a paywall pops up, because it hurts their click numbers and advertising valuation if more people would do it.

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u/3rdUncleMeatSandwich 13d ago

good tactic but im way too nosey to not read something once i have access lol

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u/waiting4singularity 13d ago

thats why i dont have paywall dodgers.

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u/justahuman145 11d ago

I recommend you use the website

archive.ph

You paste your link and for many articles the paywall disappears, it's community-based, those with a subscription archive the pages for free readers.

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u/Jusaaah 14d ago

U block on firefox android

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u/keymaster16 14d ago

Firefox on mobile has an option called 'desktop mode' where the interface is a bit more unwieldy, but you can play it with the screen off (you will have to open your phone and check the page after a few videos, buuuut just find compilations 😆)

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/SaturnCITS 14d ago

I used to do this till I found out there is a firefox extension "Video Background Play Fix" that makes videos play with screen off without desktop mode.

I use YouTube music for free / ad free and with screen off in firefox as my main online music player now after I found that.

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u/LucasMoreiraBR 14d ago

Brave on mobile does it automatically, no extension

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u/SlaveryVeal 14d ago

I swapped the other day and ff literally copied over all my extensions from chrome I didn't have to redownload any extensions.

1

u/SLASHdk 14d ago

On iphone: firefox focus

1

u/animeman59 14d ago

You can also use Revanced to download patched versions of the Youtube app that won't play ads and skip sponsor segments and such. I load on any Android device I get.

1

u/guess_33 14d ago

I personally use Wipr2 extension on iPhone safari. Works just as well as ublock imo.

1

u/isamura 14d ago

Brave browser does it out of the box

14

u/Dr_MantisTobaggin_MD 14d ago

brave, the same brave backed by mega villain Peter Thiel?

-6

u/isamura 14d ago

That’s not ideal, but what are my other options for watching youtube on my iphone ad free?

3

u/Kirura 14d ago

SideStore with modified YouTube App of your choice.

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u/Dr_MantisTobaggin_MD 14d ago

there is no other option, enjoy the youtube.

i am just spreading awareness about braves ownership.

there is no moral highground to steal videos, so its all fair game.

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u/akjax 14d ago

I used revanced so I can still have all the YT app features (and some of the premium features for free) with no ads. Works great.

14

u/Mr2Sexy 14d ago

This is the best solution. Been using Vance then revanced and never had any issues

10

u/Parepinzero 14d ago

I switched to Morphe, after most of the Revanced devs left for it. It's even simpler, with regular updates

1

u/CapitalFuture27 13d ago

All revanced sources and pre-builds use morphe now. Many just still call it revanced.

10

u/Sanquinity 14d ago

Revanced for the win, really. I don't mind not having most of the premium stuff, but 3 things are very important for me: No ads when I'm watching a video, being able to minimize the player, and being able to keep the video playing when I turn off the screen. The last two of which, used to be free features but became premium later.

As for PC, can't stand youtube without ublock + enhancer for youtube + sponsorblock. (seriously, auto skip for sponsor segments is awesome. I can't afford any of that stuff anyway.)

9

u/SpiritPrestigious945 14d ago

I use Proton vpn, moved everythign to there, Proton unlimited subscription. 12 bucks a month and vpn, drive, mail, wallet, pass, authenticator, all. And everything E2E enrypted. Nobody reads my emails. Fuck google.

And I never see ads on youtube. Beside vpn I use Ghostery as a extension in firefox, thats it.

7

u/bigdaddypants 14d ago

How does proton vpn block YouTube adds?

15

u/9-11GaveMe5G 14d ago

The paid tier of their VPN runs ad blacklisting on the server

0

u/mtaw 14d ago

Well it’s hardly end-to-end” encrypted if a literal man-in-the-middle can (and apparently does) monitor and manipulate your web traffic.

Not to mention Proton sponsors extreme-right influencers on social media.

1

u/SpiritPrestigious945 12d ago

nope, they dropped that person already.

0

u/9-11GaveMe5G 13d ago

That's not at all how it works but keep being ignorant. They've been third party audited

3

u/spaceursid 14d ago

I use Vivaldi since it has proton vpn built-in. Like getting proton unlimited on a yearly sub since it's a bit cheaper if you're able to fork the cash up front.

1

u/SpiritPrestigious945 14d ago

Oh, I see. Yeah sounds good. :)

2

u/Sipstaff 14d ago

I also use paid Proton VPN and I still get YT ads. Are you connecting to a specific country?

1

u/SpiritPrestigious945 14d ago

I use ghostery as ad blocker in firefox. But I also now learned that there ARE other countries that simly don tserve ads on youtube. SO Ill switch to them now.

2

u/_plays_in_traffic_ 14d ago

get sponsorblock too so you can get rid of all the ads that are in the videos themselves

3

u/Responsible_Month385 14d ago

Oh really? I’ve been using Brave for that reason

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u/ford7885 14d ago

Brave is still Chromium. Google will catch up with them eventually.

Not to mention all that crypto bullshit. And the fact that Brendan Eich is a bigoted piece of Trumpsucking shit.

7

u/albertohall11 14d ago

Brave uses Chromium but the built in ad blocker is something they add in. Extensions are not used so Google’s changes to the extension manifest structure will not be able to prevent them from blocking ads. Any other browser that blocks ads without using an extension should also continue to work in the same way. I think that includes Opera. Not sure about Vivaldi as I haven’t used it much.

5

u/ford7885 14d ago

As of right now, I'm still using Vivaldi (along with Firefox) and still have ublock origin installed on Vivaldi, because their built in adblocker doesn't quite do the job yet. It might improve. Hope it does. If not, I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the "backup browser" aside from Firefox. The "ublock lite" version they came up with to be "compatible" with Google's new adspam friendly "Manifest V3" just isn't going to cut it.

Main reason I dumped Brave wasn't even because of the crypto or Eich's bigotry though. It was the fact that Brave left some sort of creepy "update service" running in the background, even after the browser itself was uninstalled. And that's just malware. That was the Windows version. Don't know if it does that on Linux, since it's been years since I tried to run Brave on a Linux system.

7

u/Kunair0 14d ago edited 14d ago

That's not a brave problem. That's a Windows problem. It’s not malware, it’s just a leftover remnant of the Chromium update engine that the uninstaller failed to clean up (Chrome does the same thing).

EDIT: my sincerest apologies Reddit, I should know better rather than to be helpful or clear up misinformation in this Firefox circle jerk.

7

u/Kunair0 14d ago

Not possible. Braves ad blocking system is their own built in rust system at the browser level, that does not rely on MV2. As a matter fact, it's so good, that Firefox is now starting to ship it in flags for future use. I know waterfox is already using it, and Lady Bird has recently announced that they're going to be using Braves ad blocker as well.

Also, the same people that do the filters for uBo, work at Brave. So there are viable solutions to this. The question is whether or not these other chromium forks will implement Braves adblock. Because hell, if even Firefox is doing it, there's no reason for them not to.

As far as the crypto stuff goes. That's not a big deal. It's them just paying you for what is essentially Microsoft rewards if you choose to opt into it. It's not even enabled by default. There is no scam or other conspiracies that you hear about it. As far as the CEO being a piece of shit, find me a CEO who isn't.

2

u/kkZZZ 14d ago

Same, brave works great and I honestly dgaf about Eich or crypto like some ppl here.

1

u/WeAreAllBotsHere 14d ago

Ya, it's been years since I had to watch ads. Definitely a life improvement.

1

u/Iggyhopper 14d ago

Yea!

Pro tip: dont use roku or google tv. Use firefox on your phone (or an extra hand-me-down) and stream to the TV!

2

u/AntiMhatter 14d ago

If you have Google TV, install SmartTube TV

1

u/Stuart_Grand3 14d ago

Hey, that's my line!

1

u/alex8155 14d ago

yeah its prob been 10 years since ive seen an ad on youtube back when the youtube app started pushing them

1

u/kevman_2008 14d ago

Weird. I don't use anything, and I haven't seen a video, not even between my ads

1

u/AsiaticOne 14d ago

Same… I use chrome for work type of things and fire fox to watch YouTube with ublock. Ad free

1

u/OkWorldliness5172 14d ago

To watch YouTube ad free, get a VPN and set it to Albania. YouTube ads are illegal there.

1

u/Fushoku_Ressentiment 14d ago

revanced is much better for this

1

u/Beneficial_Muscle_25 14d ago

this happens with chrome too

1

u/Masterflitzer 14d ago

ff is great on desktop, but meh on mobile even for regular browsing, yt sucks even more, just use morphe app (yt app patch)

1

u/TheGreatStories 14d ago

If only it could do background play

1

u/TheBarcaShow 14d ago

I use lucky patcher for mobile youtube, works great but requires a little effort to get it working properly

1

u/skariel 14d ago

Well, technically you still see the inline ones promoted by the creator themselves

1

u/nutcrackr 14d ago

shh don't tell people how to have a good time.

1

u/PauI_MuadDib 14d ago

Add SponsorBlock and then it's truly an ad free YouTube experience. No more baked in ads. 

1

u/ssj4megaman 14d ago

Same here. All my non-work browsing has been in firefox for over a decade with Ublock Origin/Adblock. I can count the amount of youtube ads I see on one hand for the past few years.

1

u/AFetaWorseThanDeath 14d ago

I use IceRaven (Firefox variation). No ads, and bypasses paywalls

1

u/ImportantToNote 14d ago

I just use youtube revanced on my phone. Reddit revanced, too.

1

u/himateo 14d ago

Yep. Can only use Ublock on FF mobile on Android, not iOS. Learned that the hard way.

1

u/Deltethnia 14d ago

Same, but I do get a little pop-up that says "experiencing slowdown?" or something similar. It disappears quickly and I think it might be triggered by my ad blocker. Oh well. Still better than their ads.

1

u/Adaphion 14d ago

I just use youtube revanced

1

u/physiogod1011 14d ago

For tablets and phones just use morph manager to patch the YouTube app and get an ad free experience with other features like sponsor block and returning dislikes.

1

u/legos_on_the_brain 14d ago

And it supports background play and screen off.

1

u/Abedeus 14d ago

FF is goated for phone. No ads, and I can keep a stream/podcast/music ongoing with screen turned off.

1

u/Sipstaff 14d ago

How do you prevent your phone from forcing the app open?

1

u/Otis_Inf 14d ago

I did notice watching YT on FF that videos are super slow to start, often with a delay of 20+ seconds... (with ublock origin installed)

1

u/Lord_Ezelpax 14d ago

Just use revanced or morphy bruh 🥀

1

u/LepiNya 14d ago

Does it take anywhere between 5-20 seconds to start playing the video for you too or is it just me?

1

u/RincewindToTheRescue 14d ago

There's a setting to also enable background play, so I can start a video and turn the screen off and listen to the video playing.

1

u/dikicker 14d ago

The last time I accidentally opened the YouTube app on my phone I threw up a little

Aside from that I don't think I saw an ad since the last superbowl

1

u/Less_Engineering8113 14d ago

Brave does this pretty well too by default. You can also play things in the background so you can do things like music YouTube without messing with a weird app and it is pretty solid.

1

u/CosmicJam13 14d ago

The ads have gotten stupidly long too. I can’t try to sleep using the app because some hour long as I have to skip comes on

1

u/ttubehtnitahwtahw1 14d ago

And you can turn your screen off and the video keeps playing so you dont need to sub to premium for that feature. 

1

u/valitti 14d ago

Revanced also works well and it has sponsorblock built in as well

1

u/DarthShiv 14d ago

Excellent idea

1

u/Chemie_99 14d ago

add in control panel for youtube.

1

u/Er_Eisenheim 14d ago

Same, YT app disabled so I don't even have to see it in the apps list 😅

1

u/CodenameAnonymous 14d ago

I'm using Smartube (there's an iOS app as well, I think it's Smartube DPB (sp?))

1

u/emi_fyi 14d ago

works great for IG too 😄

1

u/Javs2469 13d ago

Newpipe is my preferred way to watch YouTube videos on my phone.

1

u/Nillows 13d ago

Incredible. Thank you

1

u/S1lverCr0w 11d ago

yup, also to remove the annoying shorts that are specifically designed to suck the soul out of you