PSA: Grayjay is really good

amanneedsamaid@sopuli.xyz to Android@lemmy.world – 111 points –

Saw Louis Rossmans original video on the app and figured (and it may well have been) it would be buggy and awful at that point. Decided to gike it a try, the app has all the options I could want for watching youtube, it's multiplatform to a much greater degree than Newpipe and it's forks.

The reason I don't ever expect to go back to Newpipe or Libretube is the plugins update through the app, meaning I can get bypasses to YouTubes bullshit as fast as they're developed.

Newpipe is usually updated quickly, but in my experience forks like Tubular that include sponsorblocks often delay me from getting that update.

Overall, very good experience so far!

25

It's a waaaaaay better experience than the official Twitch app. The fact that it can stream from other websites as well is nifty. Works great for what it is.

When grayjay first came out I was heavily downvoted for saying this, and I'm probably going to be downvoted again, but although grayjay does look pretty good, I'm never going to actually use the app because it doesn't have light mode, which I use because it is easier on my eyes. It is weird that for such a longstanding app, they couldn't just add some other styles, but oh well.

As a dev, I can assure you that all those small details arn't as easy to implement as you might think. That one would probably require 1 or 2 hours of work

Never noticed, but that is actually insane. I would prefer it to match my phone's current theme, surely they'll add that eventually.

Great app. I often go where there is no connectivity so I can still play music. My only wish was that the resume on play lists is better. It's kinda guess which song you were last on and you have to tap this dinky link that drops away pretty quick.

I paid for the app as I'd rather give LR my $$$ than the d!(kh3@ds at Google.

My only gripe with GrayJay is the lack of proper rotation support. On a phone might be fine, but on a bedside tablet I'd like to be able to use the whole thing in landscape orientation. And no, the experimental landscape mode under options refuses to rotate the main feed screens..

Bonus points if it'd allow me to use the 180° rotation so I can leave the tablet upside down on its stand and charge it while using it

As far as I can tell, I can rotate the feed screens to landscape AND rotates if I turn my phone (Pixel 6) 𝛑.

Might've changed in the last week or something, check if you need an update!

Someone explain the 10$ price that unlocks nothing and I also don't have to...pay? Is it not just a donation request at this point? I promise I'm not looking to argue semantics, but how am I, as a user, supposed to see this as a transparent attempt at differentiating from big tech if we don't call a spade a spade?

Either way, I like what they're trying to do, but it all seems too ambitious to pay atm. If they are still fighting a worthwhile and virtuous fight in a year from now, I'll pay double their 'current price'

Think of it as a very generous unlimited trial, kinda like winrar but without the nag screen.

The software is not free, but you get an unlimited free trial.

Just like the popular digital audio workstation software Reaper, the trial is unlimited but the software is not free. I've gladly paid for it twice in the last ten years because I support this business model. It respects the end user.

Louis explains in several videos on his channel.

They're experimenting with a business model where they ask users to pay for the product if you get value from it. Development isn't free, their time is valuable. In return they'll never harvest and sell your data.

If this experiment is a success it can demonstrate that it's a viable business strategy to not harvest data, which is good for everyone.

Personally, at this point I'm trying out the FUTO keyboard but it's too janky for me to pay for it. Lots of bugs and swipe is not good. I hope it gets better and I'm trying to help the project by submitting bug reports.

Grayjay I've barely used but I see the potential, and if it gets good I'll pay for it. I paid for Signal messenger because it's the same kind of thing.

It's up to you. They're telling you what the price is, it's the honor system if you use it and get value from it.

It has a LOT of issues still, it has potential, but things like subscriptions rarely actually work for me, and when it does, it takes ages for it to work. Portrait videos don't work.

I do like how it syncs my watch history, allows me to watch membership content. I wish it allowed me to comment natively as well as like dislikes. However the page button allows you to open the webview for the video giving access to those, not superb, but for sure not bad.

It is good and I am using it however there are lots of bugs.

It's kinda BS that I haven't gotten this yet. Louis is my heckin hero!

Guys I gotta complain here though. I am the guy who made the very first comment of "is buying isn't owning, then pirating isn't stealing." It was on this video as technol33t: https://youtu.be/tkmOddW1vu8

On Louis's latest video he credited and praised someone else who copied my comment! I've mostly just been content that nobody would know it's me and that it's just cool AF to see something I started go wild. Something about seeing my hero praise someone else for it got me triggered though. I want the credit now!!! Fuuuck me!

I completely understand how you feel. My only advice is be happy with movement that you help start. At the end of the day, no one cares who "helped start it", but you know what's up. Let your heart be filled and your mind remain alert to the fuckery around us everyday. Cheers hero ;)

I'm totally happy to see the phrase take off on its own. I just wanted Louis's recognition.