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Comment by simlevesque | Hacker News Reader

If you use Revanced[1] you can patch Youtube Mobile on Android to completely remove Shorts.

https://github.com/revanced/revanced-patches/

Just the thought of installing an app with permissions to patch other applications on my system makes me twitchy. I'd consider it on a dedicated media consumption device with limited shared account information, but on a daily driver I use for authentication, purchasing, etc? No thanks.

Nothing against the developers of it, but it's a tool available for use by others and I'm not going to jump on it any more than I'll install random unsigned browser extensions.

It patches an apk that you supply it - it has no ability to patch installed applications.

It sounds like you've already been brainwashed by the corporatocracy.

Contrary to what they want you to think, there's an entire world beyond them where trust is not dictated by them.

Sure yep brainwashed. Still not running third party firmwares compiled by pseudonymous folks somewhere in the world, and still not running sideloaded modified APKs or sideloaded much of anything.

Hell, I'm not even running the assorted very functional "photo scan to pdf" apps that I purchased Pro versions of over the years because while there are some very skilled developers in Moscow and St Petersburg I have no way of checking on whose behalf they use those skills.

Revanced is just an app with no special permission. It's not a firmware. It's open source. It can only patch an apk which you provide to it with standard android file-picker APIs.

I understand exactly what it's doing, and while it's better than doing it on an active system in still going to stay away.

From a security standpoint, can you tell me what's different about this vs "I ran this chunk of PowerShell that said it would patch Office to bypass activation"? After all, it's just a patch.

The patch is totally open source, and the project is rather high profile. Where exactly is the additional risk here?

From a security standpoint, What's the difference between using revanced's open source patches and downloading literally any open source software from GitHub?

I love revanced, the main thing I miss though is the ability to cast to chromecast through the patched app. So for now I keep both apps installed and switch if I need to cast.

Vanced still works great for me, it can be found on various APK download sites.

I'm sure it has a rapidly approaching expiry date, however.

Does this require root?

I nearly cancelled premium over shorts. They are aweful.

Nope. It can also block sponsors.

It doesn't !

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