YouTube Vanced to shut down 'due to legal reasons'

After facing a legal threat from Google, the popular Vanced YouTube app is being discontinued. The developers have confirmed that they have stopped all further development of the project, and Vanced has been officially discontinued.

"Vanced has been discontinued. In the coming days, the download links on the website will be taken down. We know this is not something you wanted to hear but it's something we need to do. Thank you all for supporting us over the years," the brand said in a tweet.

According to replies to the original tweet, the app will continue to work, so for those who already have it installed. However, the developers do note that there is a chance that it could stop working one day.

YouTube Vanced is a modded version of the original app that allows users to block all video ads on YouTube without a premium subscription. Vanced also includes a true black theme, and customisations not offered in the official YouTube for Android app.

Meanwhile, YouTube is bringing video transcriptions to its Android app. With this new feature, users do not need to be sitting in front of a computer to scroll through a script. Once it is live, they can click on the "Show Transcript" button found below a video's expanded description, sandwiched between any provided chapters and other suggested uploads from the channel. These transcript options appear pretty similar to what's been available on desktop for a while now but transposed to a mobile-friendly UI.