The popular Vanced YouTube app is being phased out. Vanced's creators have announced that the project will be shut down in the coming days, with download links being removed. While the app will continue to function for anyone who currently has it installed on Android, without any future updates, it will most likely cease to function at some point in the near future. According to the Vanced owners, the project has been halted "for legal reasons."
Vanced is a popular third-party YouTube app for Android, allowing users to download videos without a Premium subscription and even block all YouTube video ads. Vanced also includes a true black theme as well as customizations not available in the official YouTube for Android app.
It's unclear whether Google was involved in the cancellation of Vanced, but it's highly likely. Last year, Google-owned YouTube took down two popular Discord music bots before testing ad-supported YouTube integration into Discord just weeks later. The popular Discord music bots Rythm and Groovy also avoided ads on the service, allowing Discord users to listen to music together.
"Vanced has been discontinued," reads a message from the Vanced owners on Telegram. "We realise this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's something we have to do." We've reached out to Google for comment on the cancellation of Vanced, and we'll keep you updated.