Indubitubely: Ad-Free YouTube App

An iOS application that brings ad-free YouTube viewing to mobile devices through Invidious integration, featuring SponsorBlock support for a completely interruption-free viewing experience.

The Problem: YouTube's Growing Ad Burden

As YouTube's advertising has become increasingly intrusive – with multiple pre-roll ads, mid-roll interruptions, and sponsored content segments – the viewing experience has deteriorated significantly. Mobile users are particularly affected, as traditional ad-blocking solutions don't work on iOS's native YouTube app.

The Solution: Invidious Frontend Integration

Indubitubely leverages Invidious, the privacy-respecting alternative frontend for YouTube, to provide a clean, ad-free viewing experience while maintaining access to the full YouTube catalog.

What is Invidious?

Invidious is an open-source alternative front-end to YouTube that:

Removes all advertisements from videos
Protects user privacy by not tracking viewing habits
Provides direct video access without YouTube's wrapper
Maintains full search and discovery functionality
Supports all video qualities and formats

Core Features

Ad-Free Video Playback

Zero pre-roll ads - Videos start immediately
No mid-roll interruptions - Uninterrupted viewing experience
Clean interface without promotional content
Background playback support for audio-only listening

SponsorBlock Integration

Taking ad-blocking a step further, Indubitubely integrates with SponsorBlock to automatically skip:

// SponsorBlock segment types
enum SegmentType: String, CaseIterable {
case sponsor = "sponsor"
case selfpromo = "selfpromo"
case interaction = "interaction"
case intro = "intro"
case outro = "outro"
case preview = "preview"
case music_offtopic = "music_offtopic"
case filler = "filler"
}

Privacy-First Design

No user tracking - Your viewing habits remain private
No data collection - Zero analytics or behavioral monitoring
Local preferences - Settings stored only on your device
Proxy browsing - YouTube never sees your direct requests

Technical Architecture

Invidious Instance Management

class InvidiousManager {
private var activeInstance: InvidiousInstance
func selectOptimalInstance() async {
let instances = await fetchAvailableInstances()
self.activeInstance = instances.min { $0.responseTime < $1.responseTime }
}
func fetchVideo(id: String) async throws -> VideoData {
return try await activeInstance.getVideoData(id: id)
}
}

The app intelligently manages multiple Invidious instances to ensure:

High availability - Automatic failover between instances
Optimal performance - Selection based on response times
Load distribution - Spreading requests across instances

Video Streaming Implementation

Direct stream access - Bypassing YouTube's player wrapper
Quality selection - User-controlled resolution preferences
Adaptive bitrate - Automatic quality adjustment for network conditions
Download support - Offline viewing capabilities

SponsorBlock API Integration

struct SponsorSegment {
let startTime: Double
let endTime: Double
let category: SegmentType
let votes: Int
let locked: Bool
}
class SponsorBlockService {
func getSegments(for videoID: String) async -> [SponsorSegment] {
// Fetch community-submitted sponsor segments
}
}

User Experience Design

Familiar Interface

Despite the alternative backend, Indubitubely maintains a familiar YouTube-like interface:

Search functionality matching YouTube's capabilities
Subscription management for favorite channels
Playlist creation and management
Comment viewing (read-only for privacy)

Customization Options

SponsorBlock categories - Choose which types to skip
Video quality preferences - Default resolution settings
Playback speed controls - Variable speed playback
Dark/light mode - Interface themes

Performance Optimization

Aggressive caching - Reduced data usage and faster loading
Preloading - Next video preparation for seamless transitions
Background processing - SponsorBlock data fetching during playback

Privacy and Ethics

Respecting Creator Revenue

While Indubitubely blocks advertisements, it encourages users to:

Support creators directly through Patreon, merchandise, or donations
Engage with content through comments and shares
Discover new creators through the platform's recommendation system

Data Protection

Zero telemetry - No usage statistics collected
Local storage only - All user data remains on device
No account required - Anonymous usage by default
Open source transparency - Code available for security auditing

Technical Challenges

Instance Reliability

Managing multiple Invidious instances requires:

Health monitoring - Continuous availability checking
Automatic failover - Seamless switching between instances
Rate limiting compliance - Respecting instance usage policies

iOS App Store Compliance

Navigating App Store guidelines while providing ad-blocking functionality:

Alternative frontend positioning - Framing as a privacy tool
User education - Clear explanation of functionality
Terms compliance - Careful adherence to platform rules

SponsorBlock Accuracy

Ensuring skip segments enhance rather than disrupt the viewing experience:

Community voting - Leveraging crowd-sourced accuracy
Skip confirmation - Optional user confirmation for segments
Manual override - User control over automated skipping

Community Impact

Supporting the Invidious Ecosystem

Indubitubely contributes to the broader Invidious community by:

Instance donations - Financial support for server costs
Bug reporting - Feedback to improve the backend service
Feature requests - Suggesting mobile-specific improvements

Privacy Advocacy

The app serves as an educational tool about:

Digital privacy rights - Understanding data collection practices
Alternative platforms - Exploring decentralized media consumption
User agency - Taking control of your online experience

Future Development

Enhanced Features

Creator support integration - Direct links to creator funding platforms
Advanced filtering - Custom content filtering options
Social features - Privacy-respecting sharing and recommendations
Cross-platform sync - Secure preference synchronization

Community Contributions

Open source release - Contributing code back to the community
Instance hosting - Supporting Invidious infrastructure
Educational content - Tutorials on privacy-focused media consumption

The Philosophy

Indubitubely represents more than just an ad blocker – it's a statement about user agency in the digital age. By providing tools that let users control their media consumption experience, the app empowers people to reclaim their attention from algorithmic manipulation and advertising saturation.

The integration with Invidious and SponsorBlock demonstrates how community-driven solutions can provide superior user experiences while respecting both privacy and creator relationships.

Interested in taking control of your digital media consumption? Indubitubely shows how alternative frontends and community tools can create better user experiences while protecting your privacy.