-1

I've been used this mint Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 purchased on eBay for a fraction of its price, more specifically, to listen YouTube videos on an Aiwa NSX-SZ80E system with a Bluetooth adapter added by good self, and everything worked just great. Too good to be true, I'd say.

However, Google has unilaterally decided now to render this tablet obsolete overnight by disabling YouTube on it, and suggesting me to "switch to youtube.com" as shown:

The question would be, exactly how can I edit my tablet's Android version number to simply replace "6.0.1" with "9.0.0", effectively bypassing this Google's artificial obsolescence policy in the most elegant and straightforward manner possible?

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. If flashing the complete tablet with new, unstable, untested and unreliable firmware is required, I'll do it gladly, as long as it allows me to bypass Google's policies of rendering my tablet useless overnight just because they can.

Improve this question
6
  • 5
    In reality this is not just a simple version check. The YouTube app you have is outdated and therefore doesn't work anymore because the server API it uses has been shut down. The recent version requires Android 8 because it has been compiled for Android 8+. That means it makes use of functions only available on Android 8+. You should better che k if there is a customROM with a newer Android version available. On a newer Android version the recent YouTube app would work again. Commented Feb 4 at 21:41
  • 2
    Is there a problem with pointing the tablet's web browser at youtube.com? That does seem like the simplest solution. Commented Feb 4 at 22:18
  • 1
    This is not the place for ranting since it doesn't help solving the issue. Commented Feb 5 at 2:20
  • @JohnDallman, using the browser is not nearly the same, as there are no gestures like in the app. And it doesn't behave like the app in many ways too. Commented Feb 5 at 15:24
  • 1
    You are not an Android programmer. A lot of APIs have changed between Android 6 and 8, often even how the app is packaged changes. Those API changes are embedded deep into the code of the app and even require a lot of adaptions if you have the source code (if not this is next to impossible). The chance that a complex app like Youtube still works on Android 6 when it claims it needs Android 8 is next to zero. Commented Feb 5 at 16:20

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Simple solution: don't use Google software. Use a FOSS client like YouTube ReVanced (especially the "extended" version), NewPipe, LibreTube, etc. They all support Android 6, and not only that, you get enhanced privacy and freedom, ZERO ads, and more control over video playback (like changing quality automatically and choosing a specific codec). Google won't be able to interfere.

Improve this answer
5
  • 1
    Note that using such apps may be illegal as using third-party apps to my knowledge violate YouTube’s Terms of Service. Commented Feb 5 at 14:37
  • 1
    The practices done by Google themselves ought to be illegal. What you refer to as "illegal" here is "something which google doesn't like". Also, please keep in mind that those apps are FOSS and their source code is freely available. Most people don't use youtube anymore, they all use FOSS clients. I myself have been using Revanced Extended for over an year and my account hasn't been banned. The part where I said Google's software is malware is not an "opinionated statement"; it is a fact. But it still got edited. Reference: gnu.org/proprietary/malware-google.html Commented Feb 5 at 14:48
  • 1
    Thanks, I will definitely try that. Google's idiotic marketing practices only foster these third-party apps, so they are the only ones to blame—I hold them directly responsible for that. And I’m paying for the premium subscription, which means they have no right to slam the app’s door in my face with the cretinous outdated device argument, but of course they do because nobody cares for anything anymore. Commented Feb 5 at 15:31
  • 1
    @Robert And who's to blame—the user or Google? I’m paying for the premium subscription, yet suddenly I have no right to use the app anymore, for no remotely plausible reason. I’ll have to use it with a fake Google account too and stop paying for the premium subscription—once again, no one but Google is to blame for that. Commented Feb 5 at 15:34
  • @andreszs Yes, please don't forget to cancel the subscription. It's all because (most) google software is proprietary, which means they have the right to do anything they want without listening to the user and to profit more at the user's expense. Commented Feb 5 at 16:14

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.