The best YouTube apps, extensions, and tweaks you should get

Hello, mates! Welcome to Installer No. 16, your information to the very best and Verge-iest stuff on this planet. (In the event you’re new right here, welcome to our pleasant nook of the web, sorry about all of the productiveness apps, and likewise, you may learn all of the previous editions on the Installer homepage.) 

Hope you all had an excellent vacation, or at the very least an excellent week with one fewer electronic mail in your inbox. This week, I’ve been testing Supernotes as a every day diary app, studying about what it takes to make an iPhone in India and whatever “gamified theater” is, unsubscribing to each model that despatched me a “Joyful Holidays!” electronic mail, attempting to find video games to play on my new Backbone controller, watching Mike Birbiglia’s wonderful The Old Man and the Pool particular (and listening to his podcast, Working It Out), and ramping up my vacation film watching in an enormous means. 

I even have for you a brand new truck (you already know which one), some enjoyable year-end wrap-ups, a few new exhibits to observe this weekend, quite a lot of concepts for making YouTube a saner place, some cool AI tasks, and extra. 

As at all times, the very best a part of Installer is your concepts and ideas. What do you need to know extra about? What superior methods are you aware that everybody else ought to? What app ought to everybody be utilizing? Inform me every thing: installer@theverge.com. And if you already know another person who may take pleasure in Installer, ahead it to them and inform them to subscribe here.)

We’re a bit of extra entertainment-heavy than common this week as a result of ’tis the season I suppose. However a number of enjoyable stuff to get to. Let’s go.

• The Tesla Cybertruck. It lastly launched! Ish! I’ve spent so many hours watching and speaking about this factor for the final 4 years, and I nonetheless can’t determine if I like or hate the design. Slowly however absolutely, it seems to be like we’re about to start out seeing them within the wild — and till then MKBHD’s 40-minute video should do. Additionally, in the event you purchased one… wanna street journey?
• iA Writer 7. I love the way in which this writing app integrates ChatGPT: it detects whenever you’re pasting in generated content material and prompts you to notice what’s human and what’s AI, and it treats AI extra as a “assist me brainstorm and suppose” software than a “simply write this for me” one. Tons of intelligent UI, and I believe precisely the appropriate method.
• Godzilla Minus One. This seems like a more complex movie than your common monster flick, however in a very great way. And simply from the trailers and footage I’ve seen, this one’s going to be price viewing on an enormous display screen simply to see the way in which director Takashi Yamazaki depicts the beast itself. 
• Spotify Wrapped. All of the year-in-review stuff appears to have kicked off this week — YouTube, Apple Music, Pocket Casts, and extra — however Spotify’s simply higher at this than all people else. The AI-powered “DJ: Wrapped” characteristic has been a very enjoyable method to journey again by all of the bizarre stuff TikTok acquired me into this 12 months.
• Apple’s and Google’s apps of the 12 months. That is the opposite year-end supply of excellent stuff: the app retailer lists are at all times a mixture of very talked-about apps you positively already know and a smattering of actually cool, unknown stuff. I’m loving Stumble Guys to this point, and the way did I not find out about Mubi earlier than?
• Teenage Engineering’s EP-133 KO II. I’m probably not a musician, however I discover myself desperately wanting the brand new $299 KO II, which is each a cool music-making machine and only a beautiful set of buttons and knobs. (I acquired a bunch of crap in our feedback for calling it a synthesizer and never a sampler, which, truthful! Sampler is extra correct. However the distinction is blurry, and it doesn’t actually matter — this factor seems to be enjoyable it doesn’t matter what you name it.)
• Dot Social. This is perhaps the primary “model” podcast I’ve ever really useful right here. Nevertheless it’s one! Flipboard is all in on the fediverse and the open net, and CEO Mike McCue’s plan is to speak to sensible individuals about it. The 2 episodes are with a few of the smartest individuals on this house, they usually’re each wonderful.
• Obliterated. Apparently, this new Netflix present, which seems like The Hangover meets Zero Darkish Thirty, is unhealthy. I don’t care. I’m completely assured I’m going to adore it and watch each single episode — I’m a sucker for a spy flick, and a foolish comedy, and particularly the intersection of these two issues.
• Slow Horses season 3. This present, then again, undeniably guidelines. (As does the book series it’s based mostly on, by Mick Herron.) It’s a narrative about washed-up MI5 brokers roped again in for yet another job… after which a bunch extra jobs. From what I hear, season 3 is the very best but — add it to your vacation watching record for positive.
• Proton Mail. The latest release notes on Proton’s mail and calendar apps are tremendous humorous. There’s nothing big and new right here, it’s identical to, “We mounted all of the stuff you wished us to repair, right here you go!” And it’s nice. In the event you’re searching for a privacy-focused different to the entire Google suite, Proton’s an excellent one. (The Drive file-storage app is a specific favourite.)

YouTube is an incredible platform, and all these years later, I maintain being amazed by the stuff on it. The opposite evening, I watched a 13-year-old video of a dude placing collectively a crib that’s not bought, and it helped me do it myself! What! 

However YouTube as an app… form of sucks. You simply need to watch a video, and also you’re overrun by suggestions, one million social options, and too some ways to purchase one thing. YouTube doesn’t have a single first rate method to save one thing to observe later, and it’s all algorithmic to the purpose of being unusable typically.

So lately, I’ve been exploring a bunch of massive and small methods to enhance the YouTube expertise a bit. I’m not attempting to do away with adverts or beat the system, simply… take pleasure in YouTube extra. I’ve discovered some I actually like! So I figured I’d share:

• The Play app. I now open this as an alternative of the YouTube app. It’s an app for storing and organizing video from everywhere in the net, however I just about solely use it for YouTube. After this week’s replace, it may possibly mechanically usher in movies from channels you subscribe to, which makes it much more helpful. It’s Apple-only, sadly, nevertheless it works throughout Apple gadgets, together with the Apple TV. That is so significantly better than attempting to handle a library within the YouTube app.
• Piped. Piped is a intelligent workaround: it makes use of the YouTube API to allow you to seek for and watch something on the platform however doesn’t ship any information again to Google about you or what you watch. There are Piped-compatible mobile apps, too, and in the event you’re feeling enterprising, you may even self-host the app and run it nevertheless you need.
• Unhook. There are a bunch of browser extensions on the market that allow you to take away stuff from the YouTube interface to get a quieter viewing expertise. Unhook’s my favourite as a result of it’s so customizable — I turned off all of the suggestions and sidebars however left chapters and feedback. And because of a beautiful Unhook setting, my computerized YouTube homepage is now my subscriptions and never the default For You feed. 
• Enhancer for YouTube. One other browser extension, and form of the non secular reverse of Unhook. This one can cover issues like feedback and suggestions, however it may possibly additionally add a lot extra stuff to YouTube. Quite a lot of it’s actually helpful! I like having a one-click method to screenshot a body, a few of the keyboard shortcuts are useful, and I’ve very a lot loved creating my very own customized YouTube theme. (It’s very grey.) I’ve seen some of us having points with it lately, nevertheless it continues to work advantageous for my functions.
• Bookmark It. One final browser extension, which helps you to take time-stamped notes on a YouTube video and return to them later. I exploit this once I know I’m going to need to come again to a selected second later, which occurs extra typically than I anticipated.

My new YouTube technique is working properly to this point: once I discover one thing I need to watch later, I dump it into Play. I’ve a number of folders for instructional stuff and longform interviews, however largely, every thing simply goes within the pile to be watched later. After I need to discover one thing particular, I am going to Piped, particularly if I don’t need my YouTube algorithm to be overrun by, like, plumbing movies. In any other case, I’m utilizing YouTube — however a a lot much less chaotic model.

The purpose was at all times to search out the stuff I need to discover on YouTube and never be bothered by every thing else on the platform. I’m getting nearer! When you have concepts for what else I / we will do to make YouTube higher, I’m all ears: installer@theverge.com.

In the event you’ve been a part of the Installer neighborhood for very lengthy, you already know I can’t assist myself from continually switching to-do record apps. I sincerely suppose I’ve tried all of them. However I maintain coming again to Todoist, which is offered in all places, super-duper quick, and simply is sensible. 

Over time, I’ve additionally gotten to know its founder, Amir Salihefendic, a bit. He has sensible ideas on productiveness instruments but additionally nearly how we will dwell higher, saner lives on-line. (One time, he tweeted an image of his calendar, and it had, like, nothing on it. He may simply do work! All day! What a life!) Along with constructing Todoist, his firm, Doist, can be engaged on Twist, which goals to be principally a much less chaotic tackle Slack and messaging.

I requested Amir to share his homescreen figuring he’d skew fairly minimalist, and I used to be proper. Right here’s Amir’s homescreen, plus some data on the apps he makes use of and why:

The telephone: iPhone 15 Professional.

The wallpaper: My lock display screen cycles by footage of my youngsters and household photographs 🥰 Homescreen wallpaper is simply black.

The apps: Calendar, Images, Google Maps, Spotify, Overcast, Audible, Halist, Twist, Todoist, Safari, Telephone. 

Probably the most attention-grabbing are in all probability:

• Todoist is a to-do app (shock! ) 
• Twist as a staff communication app (one other shock! ) 
• Overcast as a podcast participant
• Halist as a ChatGPT different. I created my very own ChatGPT different as I don’t absolutely belief the privateness coverage of ChatGPT (as a result of they will prepare on the info). 

I additionally requested Amir to share a number of issues he’s into proper now. Right here’s what he got here again with:

• The OpenAI drama. It’s just like the real-life model of HBO’s Succession present (which is incredible). Let’s imagine it’s the nerd model of Succession.
• I’ve began watching Blue Eye Samurai, and it’s unbelievable.
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. This is among the finest video games ever! There’s nonetheless a neighborhood on Twitch, and I often watch video games. I additionally performed a bit with mates, however my eyes acquired tremendous sore, so I’m on pause.
• Lastly, I’m studying Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, and it’s a wild learn. It seems like a completely chaotic life. Studying what it takes to construct a few of these accomplishments is attention-grabbing.

Right here’s what the Installer neighborhood is into this week. I need to know what you’re into proper now as properly! E mail installer@theverge.com together with your suggestions for something and every thing, and we’ll characteristic a few of our favorites right here each week. 

“This superior venture out of Mozilla, Llamafile. You may get a reasonably absolutely featured model of ChatGPT operating domestically by yourself pc (with picture evaluation and every thing), tremendous simply. I adopted the three steps and acquired the factor working in lower than a minute, and it really works as quick as GPT-4 (so, extra slowly than GPT-3.5) on my Intel 2019 MacBook Professional. It’s actually cool.”  – Matthew

“Me and my spouse are recovering from watching the finale of Modern Family and located Fresh Off the Boat to be an excellent watch. Completely hilarious!” – Adam

“Trash Baby. Chaotic and artistic and wacky AI-based picture remixing app. Mix two photographs to create some actually out-there outputs. It’s a very artistic and collaborative play on generative AI. Each “child” is an surprising pleasure.” – Kyle

“It’s referred to as Loddlenaut, and it lately got here out on Steam! Your job is to principally clear up a polluted ocean planet and to change into mates with the Loddle creatures dwelling there. P.S. You may pet the Loddles.” – Andrew

“Last Stop Larrimah. Being a city of solely 11 individuals, Larrimah is form of like Cheers. A spot the place all people is aware of your title (and likewise spends most of their time in a bar). However they’re not all glad you got here. When one of many residents goes lacking, two others change into prime suspects. And the theories as to how they could have disposed of the physique, properly, I received’t spoil it for you.” – Carl

“In response to the advice for Frinkiac, the Simpsons meme generator, I believed I’d advocate the equal Futurama meme generator, Morbotron, which is made by the identical individuals. Now you may create all of the ‘Shut up and take my cash’ memes you need!” – Jonathan

“Fleeting Notes. In my quest to de-Google my life, I’ve discovered a very nice alternative for Google Maintain. It’s cross-platform, accessible offline, and syncs with Obsidian. Plus it’s end-to-end encrypted, open supply, and free. Excellent for when I’ve one thing I must shortly jot down or bear in mind with out the effort of making a complete Obsidian observe.” – Braedon

“Travle. Wordle-style, you play as soon as a day, it counts your streaks, and so forth. The premise is tremendous easy: they offer you two nations and plenty of makes an attempt it’s important to title the nations that join them. Generally they spice it up and let you know a rustic it’s essential keep away from going by. My girlfriend and I’ve been taking part in it daily for months now, and there’s additionally completely different variations the place you title areas / provinces in a selected nation.” – Sam

“Listed here are my two quickest methods so as to add to Apple Reminders. 1: On my iPhone, I exploit this app referred to as Remind Me Faster. 2: On Mac, I exploit Kind to Siri. E.g., Remind me to name dwelling at 4PM.” – Krishna 

I’m deep in lip-syncing TikTok, y’all. I don’t know the way I acquired right here, however I’m right here: there are numerous individuals on TikTok who, like, sing stunning harmonies in garages and kitchens whereas making very intense faces and physique motions, and it seems, quite a lot of these individuals are prerecording their audio and autotuning it earlier than pretending to sing it dwell, and now, there are a bunch of creators whose shtick is to call these individuals out, and other people on all sides are mad. (Do you ever write a sentence and instantly notice you sound insane? That is what I’ve change into.) However the very best half was when shirtless Charlie Puth did a video that was identical to, “Everybody makes use of autotune, it’s 2023, let’s all be good to one another.” And everybody acquired mad about that, too! However I believe shirtless Charlie Puth is correct. The web ought to take heed to shirtless Charlie Puth.