FAQ - "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot"

[Bnyro]

First of all, please make sure you're on the latest version (0.25.1).

FAQ about the current situation

• Help! I can't play videos? If you rely on public Piped instances, go to Settings -> Instance and enable Disable Piped proxy as well as Local streams extraction. Disclaimer: The bot-blocked API call will now be done directly from your IP address, which is obviously less privacy-friendly. Using a VPN is recommended, but might not always work since YouTube blocks IPs of VPN providers as well.
• Help! I can't add videos to a playlist? If you're using the app with a Piped account, it's sometimes not possible to add videos to a playlist due to Piped. If you don't use a Piped account, playlists should work as expected after this release.
• If you're self-hosting a private Piped instance, everything is most likely still working normally anyways.
• Why did it take two weeks to publish a fix? Because open source developers also have a private life and do all that work in their free time without any monetary compensation.
• If you consider this project useful, please consider making a small donation to show your appreciation via https://liberapay.com/Bnyro or https://github.com/sponsors/Bnyro. Thank you!
• Can we expect more such breaking changes in the future? Only YouTube knows.

[dr460nf1r3]

Works as expected when not using a VPN.
App crashes, however, when making use of it.

org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.exceptions.ContentNotAvailableException: Got error: "Sign in to confirm that you're not a bot"
	at org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.services.youtube.extractors.YoutubeStreamExtractor.checkPlayabilityStatus(SourceFile:222)
	at org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.services.youtube.extractors.YoutubeStreamExtractor.onFetchPage(SourceFile:855)
	at com.github.libretube.api.StreamsExtractor.extractStreams(SourceFile:112)
	at com.github.libretube.ui.models.PlayerViewModel$fetchVideoInfo$2.invokeSuspend(SourceFile:69)
	at kotlin.coroutines.jvm.internal.BaseContinuationImpl.resumeWith(SourceFile:9)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.DispatchedTask.run(SourceFile:113)
	at androidx.work.impl.WorkerWrapper$1.run(SourceFile:110)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.TaskImpl.run(SourceFile:3)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler$Worker.run(SourceFile:96)
	Suppressed: kotlinx.coroutines.internal.DiagnosticCoroutineContextException: [StandaloneCoroutine{Cancelling}@8d30b31, Dispatchers.Main]

Just letting you know this in order for this error to be made non-fatal, the stream block itself was kind of expected.

[Bnyro]

Works as expected when not using a VPN.
App crashes, however, when making use of it.

That's unfortunate, I haven't tested this with a blocked IP before the release :/

[Bnyro]

Works as expected when not using a VPN.
App crashes, however, when making use of it.

That's unfortunate, I haven't tested this with a blocked IP before the release :/

0.25.1 should have fixed that.

[PhrozenByte]

Why did it take two weeks to publish a fix? Because open source developers also have a private life and do all that work in their free time without any monetary compensation.

I'm sure I speak for most users here, so I just wanna take the moment to share some ❤️:

You do an amazing job, so with all my heart: Thank You! ❤️

Help! I can't add videos to a playlist? If you're using the app with a Piped account, it's sometimes not possible to add videos to a playlist due to Piped. If you don't use a Piped account, playlists should work as expected after this release.

I've got one question, one note for other users, and a suggestion about that:

1. Question: Is it expected that even after logging out, enabling local stream extraction and importing subscriptions locally, no new videos show up in the subscriptions tab? I assume this is because LibreTube still relies on Piped to discover new videos first?

2. Note for other users: What Bnyro likely means here is that one can first export playlists (and subscriptions) from the authenticated Piped instance, log out and then import them locally again. Importing large playlists can take a moment, so don't worry if you don't see all videos immediately.

3. Suggestion: I'd like to (again, I hope I'm not too annoying about this) refer to Local sync of subscriptions and playlists #5195: This would be no issue at all in practice if LibreTube could keep local and remote subscriptions and playlists in sync. Right now one needs to sync playlists and subscriptions manually first (and one must remember to do the reverse sync when logging in again). With Local sync of subscriptions and playlists #5195 implemented this would be as simple as hitting the "Log out" button.

[Bnyro]

Regarding 1):
Even when you don't log in, the feed is generated by Piped. I can't tell why it doesn't work that well currently (I'm not too familiar with the feed generation part of Piped although I've been talking a bit about it with Kavin).

I suspect that the feeds will definitely work better again after more people use Piped again, since one of the ways the feed is being updated is by users that visit the channel manually.

In theory there should be other methods as well, such as Pubsub, but I'd need to go deeper into Piped's code for that again. It's likely something else is broken there somebody needs to look into.

[Not-A-Coder2023]

(i don't feel like making a seperate issue)

Something loke this has actually happened to me. I posted about it on my Mastodon account: the installers for both LibreTube and LibreTube Debug 0.25.1 just don't work, flat out. No matter what version I use, I get hit with "App not installed." and I don't know why. I'm using an Android 10 OneUI Samsung Galaxy A20.

[Not-A-Coder2023]

i'll try restarting my phone.

[Not-A-Coder2023]

ok so the lt* installer still doesn't work

• libretube debug

[Not-A-Coder2023]

ok quick update: the newest nightly build worked; i don't know if i was doing something wrong beforehand

[MaggotHATE]

Hi! I'm a bit confused by the current "solution": if piped proxies are disabled and everything is running straight through Youtube, what's even left of this app? Why use it if I have to disable it's primary privacy-related functions and rely on less private solutions (VPN, as recommended)?

Why is this posed and a "solution" if it doesn't solve anything? And why refuse invidious if you don't have capacity to solve it?

[lu4p]

@MaggotHATE

I never cared about the piped proxy, just use a VPN if you care about not directly talking to YouTube.

I care about:

• nice streamlined customizable UI. I have just a subscription feed and playlists tab that's it.
• less addictive than the default YouTube app
• No Ads
• Sponsorblock
• Shorts can be avoided

The past few days I still used Libretube to find videos and shared the link to Newpipe to play them (I hate the Newpipe UI).

[MaggotHATE]

I never cared about the piped proxy

Which was the definitive feature of this app when compared to alternatives? Sure, you do you.

It seems like you've completely missed the point of my comment: the main issue is that the "FAQ" explains how to "fix" the problem with "Sign in..." as if it is a solution when it is clearly not. Explain better, blame Google clearly, tell that it is an unfortunate situation (with unclear future) - none of that is currently in that post and it is misleading.

[I-I-IT]

Why use it if I have to disable it's primary privacy-related functions and rely on less private solutions (VPN, as recommended)?

A VPN isn't less private. Youtube would'nt get your device information, so everyone using LibreTube will look the same. Now, of course this is the theory and google could still fingerprint you in some other ways.

Why is this posed and a "solution" if it doesn't solve anything? And why refuse invidious if you don't have capacity to solve it?

Look, I'm not a big fan of LibreTube. But you know that Invidious doesn't proxies the video at all ? When you go to yewtu.be, your devices is directly contacting Google's servers. So your solution to use Invidious isn't one, since Invidious never proxied videos.

All other successful Android YouTube clients (NewPipe and Grayjay) never proxied videos. You still get the advantage of no ads and no trackers (except IP-based). Plus SponsorBlock, downloads, etc...

[Raj2032]

@I-I-IT doesn't https://docs.invidious.io/instances/ have instances? and instances work as a proxy?

[MaggotHATE]

A VPN isn't less private.

It is depending on the VPN provider. It's not just about connecting to Google, it's also about routing connection through a 3rd-party. Should you trust your VPN? Probably not. Same might be true about instances, but I assume they are curated at least in some way - and connecting to them is reserved to Youtube only, while VPN on Android is "global" per se.

Invidious doesn't proxies the video at all ?

Quick search led me to this: https://github.com/iv-org/documentation/blob/master/docs/geoblocking.md - so looks like they do proxy connection? Plus, it wouldn't make any sense to find a solution with session tricks only to connect a client to Youtube again.

[slimshady045]

long awaited

[I-I-IT]

@I-I-IT doesn't https://docs.invidious.io/instances/ have instances? and instances work as a proxy?

Not quite. Go into your network console, and you will see a connection made to "Google Video". They might proxy it once they obtained a video playback link (such as https://rr2---sn-5hneknee.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?expire=1724607865&.......), but you still make the initial connection to Google servers. That being said, there is an option to proxy videos.

BTW, for those wondering, the patch does work well, even with a VPN.

[macerg]

If you don't trust your VPN, have you considered using the tor network? Worked for me.

[hamedsbt]

Doesn't work for me, I get "Network Error" toast message!

[blublu80]

Doesn't work for me, I get "Network Error" toast message!

I found the solution.

You need to register on Settings / Istance/Account

anything to register a username and a password possibly long and complex ( but remember it)

Then on proxy enable “Disable Piped proxy” then enable "Local stream extraction" ... That is all now all the videos go to me , I hope it is the same for you too

[doolooloo]

Works as expected when not using a VPN. App crashes, however, when making use of it.

org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.exceptions.ContentNotAvailableException: Got error: "Sign in to confirm that you're not a bot"
	at org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.services.youtube.extractors.YoutubeStreamExtractor.checkPlayabilityStatus(SourceFile:222)
	at org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.services.youtube.extractors.YoutubeStreamExtractor.onFetchPage(SourceFile:855)
	at com.github.libretube.api.StreamsExtractor.extractStreams(SourceFile:112)
	at com.github.libretube.ui.models.PlayerViewModel$fetchVideoInfo$2.invokeSuspend(SourceFile:69)
	at kotlin.coroutines.jvm.internal.BaseContinuationImpl.resumeWith(SourceFile:9)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.DispatchedTask.run(SourceFile:113)
	at androidx.work.impl.WorkerWrapper$1.run(SourceFile:110)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.TaskImpl.run(SourceFile:3)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler$Worker.run(SourceFile:96)
	Suppressed: kotlinx.coroutines.internal.DiagnosticCoroutineContextException: [StandaloneCoroutine{Cancelling}@8d30b31, Dispatchers.Main]

Just letting you know this in order for this error to be made non-fatal, the stream block itself was kind of expected.

How I can use this code?
I have problem for confrim I is not about in Libretube app

[sineptic]

enable Disable Piped proxy as well as Local streams extraction

I can't find local streams extraction in settings. Help me please. (I use latest fdroid version). Why you don't have search in settings?

[admntn]

Doesn't work for me, I get "Network Error" toast message!

I found the solution.

You need to register on Settings / Istance/Account

anything to register a username and a password possibly long and complex ( but remember it)

Then on proxy enable “Disable Piped proxy” then enable "Local stream extraction" ... That is all now all the videos go to me , I hope it is the same for you too

I'm sorry, but I don't think this is a solution. I'm just pointing this out because I've been logged into my Piped account for months, both through the app and through the browser, and all the errors are there in full force... I think we can all agree that LibreTube isn't as much to blame as YouTube; not only did they come up with a new ads injection system directly inside the videos, but it was implemented in a way that blocks third-party apps. And I really mean that apps get messed up with one error after another. I don't know if there will be some developer/modder or whatever that can bypass that as well. I hope so, guys. LibreTube was really a beautifully made app.

[I-I-IT]

Personally, it works fine. I have enabled (insrances choice shouldn't matter since I don't use them anymore).

I use a free Proton VON server.

[rsssxd]

Hello, because of the VPN I use YouTube, it shows bot warning and gives login warning. This warning comes from LibreTube and Newpipe.

I was able to run it because it has a rimusic sock proxy setting. If LibreTube has a sockproxy setting, it will be useful for users.

[hamedsbt]

Hello, because of the VPN I use YouTube, it shows bot warning and gives login warning. This warning comes from LibreTube and Newpipe.

I was able to run it because it has a rimusic sock proxy setting. If LibreTube has a sockproxy setting, it will be useful for users.

Hi, you can use some apps like v2rayNG which lets you creat e a VPN connection with your socks server.

[ogipaki1]

Thank god i can finally use libretube again.

[Moostek]

Hello, can anyone tell if this "Got Error: sign in to confirm that you're not a bot" is a LibreTube bug and will it be fixed within upcomming version or do I have to use some "special" method or setting? (The one cited by I-I-IT does not work with my LibreTube). I use local VPN. NewPipe works fine. Thank you.

[Aha1976]

Why do I need this app if I need to enable VPN, I wanted to use it without it, because the traffic is not direct, but if it doesn't work I can also enable regular YouTube and watch the same((((.

[GlytchMeister]

Getting this error sometimes when I tap the download button. I have followed all of the steps to make libretube work, and it is still sporadic at best, but trying to download is even less reliable, and results in a crash.

Download Crash Log

org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.exceptions.ContentNotAvailableException: Got error: "Sign in to confirm that you're not a bot"
	at org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.services.youtube.extractors.YoutubeStreamExtractor.checkPlayabilityStatus(SourceFile:222)
	at org.schabi.newpipe.extractor.services.youtube.extractors.YoutubeStreamExtractor.onFetchPage(SourceFile:855)
	at com.github.libretube.api.StreamsExtractor.extractStreams(SourceFile:112)
	at com.github.libretube.ui.dialogs.DownloadDialog$fetchAvailableSources$1$response$1.invokeSuspend(SourceFile:35)
	at kotlin.coroutines.jvm.internal.BaseContinuationImpl.resumeWith(SourceFile:9)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.DispatchedTask.run(SourceFile:113)
	at androidx.work.impl.WorkerWrapper$1.run(SourceFile:110)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.TaskImpl.run(SourceFile:3)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler$Worker.run(SourceFile:96)
	Suppressed: kotlinx.coroutines.internal.DiagnosticCoroutineContextException: [StandaloneCoroutine{Cancelling}@b8318ea, Dispatchers.Main.immediate]
    

[GlytchMeister]

I wonder if there's a way to sign in with dummy accounts like Aurora does with the play store.

[zhenlige]

It still does not work with these settings. The same error keeps showing.

[BertV1]

Even with the great recommendations, it's still not working (using VPN).
FWIW, I don't think it's something you guys can fix, I think google has won this one.

[BurnyBoi]

I wonder if there's a way to sign in with dummy accounts like Aurora does with the play store.

I'll even login with a Google account just to have the better interface and features than Revanced. I'm not sure if providing that as an option would even fix the problem or not but if it does I'd likely just settle for that.

[alejandro-alzate]

I am currently having the issue on the debug version.
I will test if the stable allows me to watch.

Update: the stable seems to have no issue.

Both have local stream extraction and proxy bypass enabled.
My educated guess is that something on debug version is tripping the anti-bot measures.

[Totallynotmwa]

Idk if piped will copy invidious on how they fixed it.

[Figim]

NewPipe extractor fixed this

TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor#1192

[Bnyro]

A user-agent update certainly does not fix that issue.

[Figim]

A user-agent update certainly does not fix that issue.

They mentioned something about this in PR

[Bnyro]

That's only to avoid ratelimiting on NewPipe's GitHub CI Action Tests, not relevant for normal users.

[rsssxd]

Would using the Rethinkdns servers help? To remove the bot alert. YouTube is giving me a bot alert for the VPN I'm using. But when I use the VPN app with Rethinkdns, YouTube doesn't give me a bot alert.

[Totallynotmwa]

NewPipe extractor fixed this

TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor#1192

Some videos work not everything