How we block adverts
How we block adverts
As ads become increasingly annoying, Computeractive’s tech experts have been forced into more innovative ways to avoid them. Here are our current tricks – and how you can follow suit
WHAT I USE
SmartTube on my TV
Robert Irvine Deputy Editor
I used to watch YouTube on my TV almost as much as BBC One, but its adverts drive me potty. I swear they’re getting longer, more repetitive and more infuriating – randomly interrupting videos every few minutes.
Rather than pay £12.99 a month for the ad-free YouTube Premium, I now use SmartTube. This free TV app lets me watch videos on YouTube without any ads or personalised recommendations.
SmartTube works on my old Fire TV stick (it can’t be installed on the latest models) and my Google TV, though it’s not compatible with LG and Samsung TVs. The only hassle was that the app isn’t available from official app stores.
Instead, I downloaded SmartTube’s APK file using ‘Downloader by AFTVnews’ (www.snipca.com/58645) by typing kutt.to/stn_stable on my remote. I’d already set up sideloading so the app installed without any problems.
Robert uses SmartTube to watch YouTube videos on his TV without ads