Android TV doesn’t have nearly the same selection of apps as Android for smartphones, so it’s always nice to see developers support the growing TV platform. If you watch a lot of YouTube on your smart TV and want more viewing options, check out SmartTubeNext, an unofficial, open-source YouTube client for Android TV. The app features a more modern UI to match the look of Android TV and offers some great playback features.
SmartTubeNext is available for Android 4.3 and above but is primarily aimed at Android TV devices. The app, of course, functions as a typical YouTube client, with the ability to like, dislike, subscribe to channels, and see an animated preview of videos.
Here are some of the features the current version of SmartTubeNext offers:
- Browse news, games and music
- Browse subscriptions, history and playlists
- Play videos
- Like, dislike or subscribe to channels
- Search for videos
- View subscribed channel content
- Change various settings for the video player
- Animated previews for videos
- Android TV channels and search support
In a discussion thread on Reddit, SmartTubeNext users seem pleased with the progress that’s been made so far. One of the features users are most excited by, it seems, is playback speed control. However, some features are still missing, like support for multiple accounts. The app is in beta, though, and it sounds like new features are constantly being introduced to address grievances.
If you’re tired of YouTube’s own app, SmartTubeNext looks like a nice alternative with some cool features. You can keep track of the app’s progress and GitHub, and grab the APK while you’re at it. You can push the APK to your device over ADB or use an app like Downloader.
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