YouPipe TV
All of YouTube on your TV. None of the ads.
YouPipe TV is a free YouTube app for Android TV, Google TV and Samsung TVs. It looks and works like YouTube on TV, with no ads and no account needed, and your history and subscriptions stay on your TV.
Made for the big screen
A TV app, not a phone app on a TV
Everything is built for the remote: the left menu, rows of big cards, the TV keyboard and the full-screen player, like YouTube on TV.
No ads, no account needed
Videos start straight away. YouPipe talks to YouTube directly from your TV; there's no server in between. Signing in to YouTube on Google's own page is optional.
Up to 1080p, quick seeking
Hold Left or Right to skip through a video with thumbnail previews and chapter names.
SponsorBlock
Optionally skips sponsors, intros and "like and subscribe" reminders, using the community's segments.
Subscriptions on the TV
Subscribe to channels without a Google account. Their new videos show up in Subscriptions and on Home.
Continue watching
Picks up where you left off, with recommendations from what you watched, Watch later and liked videos.
Captions, chapters, comments
Captions in any language YouTube has, chapters on the seek bar, the description and comments in a side panel.
Install
Put it on your TV
YouPipe TV isn't in the TV app stores, so you install it yourself. It takes about 10 minutes on Android TV, and a little longer on a Samsung TV.
You need: an Android TV or Google TV with Android 10 or later (Chromecast with Google TV, NVIDIA Shield, Sony, TCL, Hisense and others), and its remote. There are two ways to get the app onto it: A, download on the TV itself with Downloader, or B, download on your phone and send it to the TV with Send Files to TV. Each step shows both; follow the one you picked.
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Install a helper app
- A · TV only On the TV, install Downloader (by AFTVnews) from the Play Store.
- B · Phone and TV Install Send Files to TV (or a similar file-sending app) from the Play Store on the phone and on the TV. Keep both on the same Wi-Fi.
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Let it install apps on the TV
- Open Settings → Apps → Security & restrictions → Unknown sources and turn it on for the helper app. On Google TV it's Settings → Privacy → Security & restrictions → Unknown sources. Many TVs also ask by themselves the first time you install.
- If you don't see Unknown sources, turn on developer options first: Settings → System → About, then press OK on Android TV OS build seven times.
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Download YouPipe TV
- A · TV only Open Downloader, type this address and choose Go:
https://github.com/SanuSanal/YouPipe-TV/releases/latest
- B · Phone and TV On the phone, download the APK from the latest release. Then open the app on the TV and choose Receive; on the phone choose Send, then the APK and your TV.
Pick the APK for your TV:
YouPipe-TV-…-android.apkworks on every TV (the safe choice).…-arm64-v8a.apkis smaller, for most newer TVs and boxes. If it says "App not installed", use…-armeabi-v7a.apk: some TVs run 32-bit Android.
- A · TV only Open Downloader, type this address and choose Go:
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Install and open it
- A · TV only Downloader opens the installer by itself.
- B · Phone and TV On the TV, open the received APK in the app.
Choose Install, then Open. YouPipe also appears in the row of apps on your TV's home screen.
Install from a computer instead (adb)
On the TV, turn on developer options (step 2), then Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging (on some TVs, Network debugging). Find the TV's IP address under Settings → Network. On the computer, with Android platform-tools:
adb connect 192.168.1.50:5555 adb install YouPipe-TV-v1.0.0-android.apk
The TV asks you to allow the computer the first time.
Updates: install a newer APK the same way; your history and subscriptions stay. Settings → Version checks whether there's a new one.
You need: a Samsung TV from 2023 or later (Tizen 7.0 or newer), a Windows, Mac or Linux computer on the same network, and a free Samsung account. Samsung only lets you install your own apps in Developer Mode, signed with a certificate made for your TV, so the computer does the install.
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Install Tizen Studio on the computer
- Download Tizen Studio (the version with the IDE or the CLI) and install it.
- Open its Package Manager. Under Extension SDK, install Samsung Certificate Extension and TV Extensions.
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Turn on Developer Mode on the TV
- Open Apps on the TV and type 1 2 3 4 5 with the remote's number keys (or the on-screen number pad).
- Turn Developer mode on and enter your computer's IP address.
- Restart the TV: hold the power button until it turns off and back on.
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Connect the computer to the TV
Find the TV's IP address (Settings → General → Network → Network status → IP settings), then in a terminal (
sdbis in Tizen Studio'stoolsfolder):sdb connect 192.168.1.50 sdb devices
The TV should be listed as
device. Tizen Studio's Device Manager can do the same. -
Make a Samsung certificate for your TV
- In Tizen Studio, open Tools → Certificate Manager and add a new profile. Choose Samsung, then TV, and name it, for example
YouPipe. - Create an author certificate (any name and password) and sign in with your Samsung account when asked.
- For the distributor certificate, keep the connected TV ticked: the certificate then works on that TV.
You can reuse a Samsung certificate you already have, if it lists your TV.
- In Tizen Studio, open Tools → Certificate Manager and add a new profile. Choose Samsung, then TV, and name it, for example
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Download, sign and install YouPipe TV
Download
YouPipe-TV-…-samsung.wgtfrom the latest release. Then, in the folder you saved it to (tizenis in Tizen Studio'stools/ide/binfolder):tizen package -t wgt -s YouPipe -- YouPipe-TV-v1.0.0-samsung.wgt tizen install -n YouPipe-TV-v1.0.0-samsung.wgt -s 192.168.1.50:26101
The first command signs the app with your certificate; the second installs it. Use your certificate profile's name after
-s. -
Open it
YouPipe is in the TV's Apps. You can move it to the home bar from there.
Good to know: the certificate lasts a year and works only on the TVs it lists; renew it the same way. To update, repeat step 5 with the new release; your history and subscriptions stay.
| TV | Supported | App |
|---|---|---|
| Android TV, Google TV | Android 10 or later | APK: Flutter, with YouPipe's playback engine |
| Samsung | 2023 models and later (Tizen 7.0+) | Tizen web app (.wgt) |
| Older TVs | Not supported, even if the app installs |
Questions
Good to know
Does it need a Google account?
No. YouPipe TV works signed out. Subscriptions, history, Watch later and liked videos are kept on the TV and never leave it.
Can I sign in to YouTube?
Yes, optionally. Choose the profile button at the top left, then Sign in. Google's own sign-in page opens and you type your email and password there; YouPipe only keeps the YouTube session, on the TV. Signing in brings your recommendations to Home, your YouTube history, Watch later, liked videos and playlists to Library, and copies your subscriptions and history to the TV.
- Android TV / Google TV: type with the remote or with the keyboard in the Google TV app on your phone. Once YouTube's page loads, YouPipe returns by itself, already signed in. Likes, Watch later and subscriptions you change in YouPipe also go to your account.
- Samsung: the remote can't move between the boxes on Google's page, so plug a USB mouse or keyboard into the TV for the sign-in. When YouTube's page appears you're signed in: press Back, or if that does nothing, hold Back (or press Home) and open YouPipe again. YouPipe then says "Signed in to YouTube" and imports your subscriptions and history. If it still shows you signed out, choose Already signed in? Check. On Samsung your account is only read: likes, Watch later and subscriptions you change in YouPipe stay on the TV.
You only sign in once per TV; the TV doesn't need restarting.
Why isn't it in the Play Store or Samsung's store?
An ad-free YouTube app wouldn't be accepted. You install it yourself, the same way developers test their own apps.
Is there a server?
No. The app asks YouTube for videos straight from your TV, like YouTube's own app does. Optional extras (SponsorBlock, Return YouTube Dislike) call those projects' public APIs.
Is there a phone version?
Yes: YouPipe for Android phones and tablets.