NewTube
Download
  • Built on SmartTube
  • Phones and tablets
  • No microG or root

SmartTube for phones. Unofficial, open source.

NewTube is an unofficial YouTube client for Android phones and tablets, built on SmartTube by @yuliskov. Sign in with a code, keep it playing in the background, save videos for offline, and cast to SmartTube on your TV.

Download for Android Source code on GitHub

Android 7.0+ · Free and open source (MIT) · Not affiliated with Google, YouTube or SmartTube's developer

The NewTube watch page playing Sintel, with chapters on the seek bar and a Download button under the video
  • The Blender Studio channel page, with its sections as tabs
    Channel pages
  • The comments panel open under the video, sorted by Top
    Comments under the video
  • The mini-player playing over the Blender Studio channel page
    Mini-player while you browse
  • The watch page in the light theme
    Light or dark
  • The Downloads tab listing videos saved for offline, with their quality and size
    Saved for offline
  • In motion

Unofficial · built on SmartTube by @yuliskov

SmartTube for phones

SmartTube is made for Android TV and TV boxes, with an interface built for a TV remote. Its README says it is not for smartphones: “There will not be a phone version.” NewTube is an independent project that takes SmartTube's engine to phones and tablets, with a touch interface. It is not made or endorsed by SmartTube's developer.

What comes from SmartTube

The engine that talks to YouTube, the account sign-in with a code, and the SponsorBlock, DeArrow and Return YouTube Dislike integrations. NewTube runs on forks of SmartTube's MediaServiceCore and SharedModules.

What NewTube adds for phones

A Material Design touch interface, its own player on androidx Media3, a mini-player you can drag down while you browse, picture-in-picture, and saving videos for offline.

A separate app, with its own key

NewTube has its own package name (io.github.aleixrodriala.arc) and its own signing key, so it installs next to SmartTube or the YouTube app, and neither can update the other. It can cast to SmartTube on your TV.

Download NewTube for Android NewTube's source code on GitHub

Features

Background play, SponsorBlock and offline saving, made for touch

The engine is SmartTube's. The touch interface, the player and offline saving are NewTube's.

Your account, in seconds

Sign in once with a code and your subscriptions, history, playlists, Watch later and recommendations load from your account. It doesn't need microG, GmsCore, root or a patched app. Signing in is optional; signed out, YouTube still personalises Home from what you watch on this phone.

Keeps playing

Background playback with the screen off, picture-in-picture, and a mini-player you can drag down while you keep browsing. Lock-screen and headset controls work too.

Save for offline

Pick a quality up to 1080p, or keep only the audio. Saved videos play in the same player with no connection, and they show up in your gallery. Subtitles aren't saved with them.

Measured speed

The first screen appears in about 0.24 s, and a related video shows its first frame about half a second after you tap it (Pixel 9 medians). The interface is plain Material Design, in light or dark.

Less noise

SponsorBlock skips sponsor segments, DeArrow swaps clickbait titles and thumbnails, and Return YouTube Dislike shows estimated dislike counts. There are no Shorts.

Works with SmartTube on your TV

Pair with SmartTube on the TV using its Remote control code. You can also play straight to a Chromecast from the phone (no live streams or subtitles in that mode), or use the TV's own YouTube app.

Everything else

  • Up to 4K where the video and the phone allow (1080p by default), with codec choice
  • Subtitles, including auto-translated tracks, and caption style and size
  • Playback speed from 0.25x to 2x, plus finer steps
  • Playlists: Play all, Shuffle, Save to playlist, New playlist, a queue with “Playing from…”
  • Several accounts, with a switcher, or none at all
  • Picture-in-picture on Android 8 and later
  • Read and write comments, live chat; chapters and dubbed audio tracks
  • Playback that waits out tunnels and dead zones and resumes where it stopped
  • English and Spanish
The full-screen player in landscape, playing Big Buck Bunny
The full-screen player

Sign-in

How sign-in works, without Google Play Services

Signing in is optional. When you do, NewTube signs in the same way a TV does, with a short code.

  1. Get a code

    Open the You tab, tap the account row, then Sign in. NewTube shows a short code.

  2. Allow access on Google's page

    Tap Continue with Google. Google's own page opens: pick your account and allow access. It may mention a TV, because NewTube signs in the same way a TV does.

  3. Come back

    Sign-in finishes by itself.

Your password is only ever typed into Google's page, never into NewTube. The login token is stored on your phone and never sent to the developer. You can revoke it at any time at myaccount.google.com/security, under Your connections to third-party apps & services.

The NewTube sign-in screen: three steps, a code to match, and a Continue with Google button

Speed

How fast

Medians measured on a Pixel 9 with release builds: small samples, one phone, one carrier, and the mobile-data runs were on different days. The method and the full table are in STATUS.md.

0.24 s

Open the app → first screen

Wi-FiMobile data
Open the app → first screen0.24 s0.24 s
Open the app → Home fully painted1.35 s1.56 s
Tap a related video → first frame0.50 s0.53 s
Tap a related video → picture visible0.66 s0.73 s
Reopen a half-watched video → picture0.37 s–
Tap a shared link → first frame0.66 s0.84 s

Credit where it's due

Built on SmartTube

NewTube is SmartTube's work underneath. The engine that talks to YouTube, the account sign-in and the SponsorBlock, DeArrow and Return YouTube Dislike integrations all come from SmartTube by @yuliskov.

NewTube adds a touch interface, its own player and offline saving. It is an independent project, not endorsed by SmartTube's developer. NewTube takes no donations: if you find it useful, support SmartTube.

SmartTubeNewTube
Made forAndroid TV and TV boxesPhones and tablets
ControlsTV remote (D-pad)Touch and gestures
InterfaceLeanbackMaterial Design
EngineMediaServiceCore + SharedModulesForks of the same modules
PlayerExoPlayerandroidx Media3
Offline savingNoYes
LicenseMITMIT

Also standing on

Full notices are in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

Download

Download the NewTube APK

Distributed on GitHub, not on Google Play. Every APK is signed with the same key.

Download for Android All releases

Android 7.0+ · Free and open source (MIT)

Which APK do I pick?

  • NewTube_<version>_arm64-v8a.apk Almost every phone from the last ~8 years
  • NewTube_<version>_armeabi-v7a.apk Older 32-bit phones
  • NewTube_<version>_universal.apk Not sure? Any ARM phone (bigger)
  • NewTube_<version>_x86.apk Older x86 devices and emulators

Requires Android 7.0 or newer. NewTube has its own package name (io.github.aleixrodriala.arc), so it installs next to SmartTube or the YouTube app.

Updates

With Obtainium, choose Add app and paste:

https://github.com/aleixrodriala/newtube

Or install a newer APK over the old one: every release is signed with the same key. NewTube also checks for new versions itself and offers them in the app.

Distributed on GitHub

NewTube is distributed on GitHub, not on Google Play.

Check what you install

Every APK is signed with the same key. Since 1.10.3 each one is built by GitHub Actions from the tagged source, and every release is scanned on VirusTotal. The certificate fingerprint and how to check each step are under Trust and verification.

Trust and verification

Is NewTube safe? Check it yourself

Each claim here links to something you can check: the certificate, the build, the scans and the code.

Who builds and signs NewTube

Every NewTube APK is signed with the same key, which belongs to the maintainer, @aleixrodriala. Up to 1.10.2 the APKs were built and signed on the maintainer's computer. Since 1.10.3 the release workflow builds and signs them on GitHub's servers from the tagged source, deletes the key from the build machine afterwards, refuses any APK signed with another certificate, and attaches the files to a draft release that the maintainer publishes by hand. The builds aren't reproducible yet.

The certificate (CN=NewTube, OU=NewTube, O=aleixrodriala) has this SHA-256:

2e:f9:9d:76:ed:fa:d9:88:ad:17:cd:ee:8b:a1:8c:63:4e:23:0f:e1:e3:cb:1f:dc:6c:db:02:49:37:0a:36:c9
  • The signature: apksigner verify --print-certs <file>.apk
  • Where it was built: gh attestation verify <file>.apk -R aleixrodriala/newtube
  • The file itself: compare its SHA-256 with SHA256SUMS on the release page

VirusTotal on every release

When a release is published, a workflow uploads each APK to VirusTotal, waits for the results and adds a table to the release notes with a link to each report. For 1.13.0 (30 September 2026), no engine flagged any of the four APKs (0 of 61 to 67 engines).

Public source, MIT license

All of NewTube's code is public: the app on GitHub and its forks of SmartTube's MediaServiceCore and SharedModules. Every release is tagged, so you can read the exact source it was built from. The license is MIT, the same as SmartTube.

No analytics, no ad SDKs

NewTube's dependencies include no analytics, crash-reporting or ad libraries, and the 1.13.0 APK's code contains no Firebase, Crashlytics, Sentry, ACRA, Google Play Services or ad-network classes. The developer receives nothing. The app talks to YouTube, to SponsorBlock, DeArrow and Return YouTube Dislike (each can be switched off), and to GitHub for update checks. Details are in PRIVACY.md.

How the in-app updater checks an update

It reads the update manifest from NewTube's GitHub releases over HTTPS and downloads the APK from the same release. Before offering it, it checks that the file is a complete Android package for NewTube (io.github.aleixrodriala.arc) at the announced version. Then it hands the file to Android's own installer, which refuses an update that isn't signed with the same key as the installed app. The updater keeps no checksum of its own; the signature check is Android's.

FAQ

SmartTube on your phone: questions and answers

Something missing? Ask on NewTube's GitHub issues or Discord.

Can SmartTube be installed on phones?

SmartTube is made for Android TV and TV boxes. Its README says it is not for smartphones and offers no support there: “There will not be a phone version.” NewTube is an unofficial phone client built on SmartTube's engine: the same account sign-in and the same SponsorBlock, DeArrow and Return YouTube Dislike integrations, with a touch interface, its own player and offline saving. If you have an Android TV, get SmartTube for it.

Is NewTube official?

No. NewTube is an independent, unofficial project. It is not affiliated with, funded, authorized or endorsed by Google LLC, YouTube, or SmartTube's developer. It is built on SmartTube's open-source code (MIT) by @yuliskov and credits it.

Does it need Google Play Services, microG, root or ReVanced?

No. NewTube isn't a patched YouTube app. It signs in with a code the way a TV does, so it doesn't need Google Play Services or a stand-in for them, and its APK contains no Google Play Services libraries.

How do I sign in?

Open the You tab, tap the account row, then Sign in. NewTube shows a short code. Tap Continue with Google, pick your account on Google's own page and allow access, then come back: sign-in finishes by itself. Your password is only ever typed into Google's page, never into NewTube, and signing in is optional. More on sign-in.

Is it safe? Who signs the APK?

Every NewTube APK is signed with the same key, which belongs to the maintainer, @aleixrodriala. Since 1.10.3 the APKs are built and signed by GitHub Actions from the tagged source, and each file has a build attestation. Each release lists a SHA-256 for every file and a VirusTotal scan of every APK. The app has no analytics, no crash reporting and no ad SDKs. The certificate fingerprint and how to check each of these yourself are under Trust and verification.

Which APK do I pick?

arm64-v8a fits almost every phone from the last ~8 years. armeabi-v7a is for older 32-bit phones, universal works on any ARM phone if you're not sure (it's bigger), and x86 is for older x86 devices and emulators. NewTube needs Android 7.0 or newer.

How do updates work?

NewTube checks its GitHub releases for a new version and offers it in the app; Android's installer then installs it over the old one, keeping your account and settings. You can also add https://github.com/aleixrodriala/newtube to Obtainium, or install a newer APK over the old one yourself.

Will Google's developer verification block NewTube?

Not for now, according to Google. The verification requirement that started on 30 September 2026 covers apps installed from participating stores, such as Google Play. Google's FAQ says that if users sideload an app directly, “these new verification requirements won't apply to your app yet.” NewTube is installed from GitHub, so it is sideloaded. Google has announced that verification will reach all installs in 2027; what NewTube does about that hasn't been decided yet.

Was it made with AI?

Yes, in large part. NewTube is one person's project, and most of its own code (the phone interface, the player and the network work) was written with AI coding assistants (Claude and Codex); the commit trailers say so. The maintainer directs and reviews that work and uses the app daily. Each release record lists what was checked on a real phone, what only in automated tests, and what is still open. The engine underneath is SmartTube's, written by @yuliskov and its contributors over several years.

How is it different from NewPipe, LibreTube or ReVanced?

They're all good apps, and which one fits depends on what you want. NewPipe and LibreTube don't sign in to a Google account; they keep subscriptions on your phone or on a Piped server. ReVanced patches the official app and needs GmsCore unless you're rooted. NewTube is built on SmartTube, so it uses your real account without any of that.

Is there another SmartTube-based phone app?

Yes. SmarterTube is another independent phone fork of SmartTube, worth comparing. The two are separate projects. One difference today (September 2026): NewTube can save videos for offline.

Why no donations?

NewTube doesn't take donations. SmartTube did the heavy lifting, so if you want to give something back, support SmartTube.

A video won't play. What now?

YouTube sometimes refuses a video or an account. NewTube retries through other routes, but not every video comes back. If one keeps failing, open an issue with the video link and your NewTube version.