What is the best YouTube app?

[Ariel Takom]

i don't know about the others but i like mytube beta because you can play videos/music in the background.

What do you mean play video/music on the background? If you're talking about the audio keeps on playing after switching apps or going to the start screen, then the non-beta myTube have this feature as well. Though, I must say that the audio would pause for about 1-2 seconds before it resumes again.

 

[Ariel Takom]

I've personally used multiple YouTube apps on my Lumia 830, so I will share my experiences with each app here.

1) myTube!
Currently the one I'm using.
PROS:
- Smooth performance, easy navigation
- Supports background playback
- Dark/light theme with color customization (can even set to follow phone's color scheme)
- Download videos or audio of videos for offline playback (the file can only be accessed via myTube. It doesn't download it in mp3/mp4 or whatever file type imaginable. This is to prevent YouTube from banning their access to the YT API I guess.
- When logged in, you'll get an entire page for your subscribed videos.
- Annotation support, Playback speed support

CONS:
- Sometimes the app would take extremely long to buffer a video (Thought it was WiFi problem. Tested opening the vid from Edge, loads perfectly fine).

2) MetroTube
PROS:
- Smooth performance
- Supports background playback
- Download videos or audio of videos for offline playback (the file can only be accessed via myTube. It doesn't download it in mp3/mp4 or whatever file type imaginable. This is to prevent YouTube from banning their access to the YT API I guess.
- When logged in, you'll get an entire page for your subscribed videos

CONS:
- UI is outdated
- Navigation is very tedious compared to myTube (the subscription page mentioned above is not immediately available. You have to tap 'Subscriptions' to get to it.

3) Perfect Tube
PROS:
- Best UI
- Has mini video feature (similar to official YouTube app in Android) where when you play a video, and decide to browse other videos, the video playing will be minimized and continue to play at the bottom of the screen.
- When logged in, you'll get an entire page for your subscribed videos

CONS:
- Performance not as smooth as myTube!
- The performance worsens greatly when using the mini video feature (crashes a lot for me)
- No background play
- No download
- Can adjust color, but can't set it to follow the phone's theme color
- Most of the time, videos won't load after changing the video's progress bar

4) TubeCast
PROS:
- Same as myTube!
- Additionally, it can cast to other devices. I think myTube has this too, but I'm not sure since I've never used it.
- Can be used along with Video360 to open 360 videos. I think there's an app for VR too, and these apps are connected to one another i.e. opening a 360 video on TubeCast launches the Video360 app

CONS:
- Expensive, and each features (Cast, Video360, etc) is available after purchase
- It always loads video successfully, but the loading time is slower than myTube (personal experience)

5) Awesome Tube
PROS:
- Nice UI
- Background playback support
- Download support

CONS:
- Terrible performance
- Often crashes

Note: I used this app when it was fairly new, so I'm not sure about its condition now. Maybe it got better, maybe it hasn't. I'm not that sure.

 

[erfanjafar]

Can tubecast download video in sd card or only in app download?

Perfect Tube is great it does download videos to your sd card.

 

[Krystianpants]

What do you mean play video/music on the background? If you're talking about the audio keeps on playing after switching apps or going to the start screen, then the non-beta myTube have this feature as well. Though, I must say that the audio would pause for about 1-2 seconds before it resumes again.

You're right I didn't have a setting for it to play when leaving the app. I just found it now. I still prefer the UI of the MYtube Beta version. Only thing is I don't know how to copy the URL of the track. MyTube standard you just hold down on the URL that is shown below the video.

 

[Omonja]

Will Google ever show some love?

 

[Ariel Takom]

You're right I didn't have a setting for it to play when leaving the app. I just found it now. I still prefer the UI of the MYtube Beta version. Only thing is I don't know how to copy the URL of the track. MyTube standard you just hold down on the URL that is shown below the video.

Is the beta version vastly different from the standard one? I wanted to try, but am too lazy do any sort of testing since I'm busy with my school work and what not.

If you would be so kind, could you share what's new or better in myTube beta compared to the normal one? Or maybe just share a link here so that we can read it ourselves?

 

[Krystianpants]

Is the beta version vastly different from the standard one? I wanted to try, but am too lazy do any sort of testing since I'm busy with my school work and what not.

If you would be so kind, could you share what's new or better in myTube beta compared to the normal one? Or maybe just share a link here so that we can read it ourselves?

Hmm can't post from within app.

Anyways, it has way better UI. It also supports PIP where you can have a tiny screen playing in corner while doing other stuff. The store page doesn't show off the new UI though. Here is the store link. It is hidden now and wasn't before. It may not work. If you really want it, scroll down till you can tap publisher name and there's a beta signup app as well. But that's if the direct link doesn't work.

https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9wzdncrdt29j

 

[Ariel Takom]

Hmm can't post from within app.

Anyways, it has way better UI. It also supports PIP where you can have a tiny screen playing in corner while doing other stuff. The store page doesn't show off the new UI though. Here is the store link. It is hidden now and wasn't before. It may not work. If you really want it, scroll down till you can tap publisher name and there's a beta signup app as well. But that's if the direct link doesn't work.

https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9wzdncrdt29j

Thank you for the info! So, they finally added the PIP feature like the one available in official Android YT app huh? Does it lag for you when using this feature? I remember using it on Perfect Tube, and it slowed down my phone until nearly unusable.

 

[Dreznik Xerakof]

Theoretically it should be possible since the app can be moved to the card. However I haven't tried using a SD card on my Lumia 1520, way to much internal space.

 

[fury2g]

myTube

 

[prasanna moholkar]

myTube

Problem with my tube app:
1.some video even after downloading I must open app to downloaded videos.
But some file support sd card save option.
Even Mytube beta app special for anniversary update which has no download features at all.

 

[karelj]

I've been using Tubecast for a while now and I haven't been seriously tempted by other YouTube apps to make a switch.

 

[marian surugiu]

I've been using MetroTube for a long time now and its starting to feel a bit outdated, plus it crashes a lot. What do you use?

 

[WindowsPhoneFan]

Metrotube is the best if you ask me! But then I'm a Metro UI diehard!