Is SmartTubeNext on Firestick & Android TV the Best for Ad-Free YouTube?

If you‘re like me, you love watching YouTube but get frustrated with the constant ads interrupting your viewing experience. Luckily, there‘s an easy solution – SmartTubeNext. This unofficial YouTube app provides all of the platform‘s great videos completely ad-free!

In this detailed guide, I‘ll tell you everything you need to know about using SmartTubeNext for an uninterrupted YouTube streaming experience on your Firestick, Android TV box and other devices. Let‘s get started!

What is SmartTubeNext and Why Do You Need It?

SmartTubeNext is an alternative YouTube app developed specifically to block ads before, during, and after videos. It gives you access to all of YouTube‘s content, features, and functionality – just without any pesky ads.

This allows you to watch videos seamlessly without constant annoying commercial breaks. No more skipping ads or waiting 5 seconds hoping you don‘t see another "This video will resume after ad" message.

The app has an interface nearly identical to the regular YouTube app. So it will feel familiar if you‘re used to YouTube on your Firestick, Android TV, phone, etc.

But by using SmartTubeNext instead, you get an ad-free viewing experience. Plus, it offers some bonus features like the ability to play videos in the background and download videos for offline playback later.

So if you find YouTube ads repetitive and frustrating like I do, SmartTubeNext is the perfect solution. Now let‘s compare some stats on regular YouTube vs. SmartTubeNext.

YouTube Ads vs. SmartTubeNext Stats

Here‘s a quick comparison of what a typical YouTube session looks like against using ad-free SmartTubeNext:

As you can see, SmartTubeNext provides a much more seamless and uninterrupted viewing experience by removing all those pesky YouTube ads!

Next let‘s take a look at some of the key features that make SmartTubeNext a top choice for ad-free streaming.

Why Choose SmartTubeNext? Key Features

Here are some standout benefits and capabilities of SmartTubeNext compared to the stock YouTube app:

No Ads

This is the core feature that makes SmartTubeNext so great. You get to watch any YouTube video completely free of distracting ads.

No pre-roll ads, no mid-video ads, and no post-roll ads. Just 100% uninterrupted streaming.

Sign In with Your Account

You can sign in to SmartTubeNext using your regular Google or YouTube account credentials. This connects your account data like:

• Subscriptions
• Watch history
• Playlists
• Recommendations
• Liked videos
• And more

By signing in, you get all of your regular YouTube account features customized within SmartTubeNext.

Background Play

SmartTubeNext offers a background playback feature that lets you continue streaming audio from YouTube videos even when you exit the app.

This is perfect for listening to music playlists or podcasts on YouTube just like a regular audio player. Video will resume when you reopen the app.

Download Videos

Want to save a video to watch later when you won‘t have internet access? SmartTubeNext lets you download videos directly on your device storage.

This is great for planes, roadtrips, or other times you‘ll be offline but want to watch saved YouTube videos.

Multiple Themes

If you don‘t like the default red and white color scheme, SmartTubeNext provides multiple themes to change the aesthetic of the app.

Pick from options like Dark, Black, Amoled, and more. It‘s a nice touch to personalize the look and feel.

Additional Features

SmartTubeNext also offers these great extra features:

• 4K and HDR video support
• Stream to Chromecast devices
• Kids mode to limit content
• Gesture controls
• Auto-play next video
• Adjustable playback speed
• Bug fixes and improvements from the developer

As you can see, SmartTubeNext has all the core functionality of YouTube plus ad blocking and bonus features like downloading videos.

Now let‘s go over how to get it installed on your devices.

How to Download & Install SmartTubeNext

The SmartTubeNext app can be installed on a variety of devices including Firestick, Fire TV, Android TV boxes, Android phones and tablets, and more.

Here are step-by-step instructions to get it up and running on a Firestick as well as any Android TV streaming box.

Install SmartTubeNext on Firestick

Follow these steps to download and install SmartTubeNext on your Amazon Fire TV Stick:

1. From the Firestick home screen, go to the "Search" option and type in Downloader. Select the Downloader app to install it.

2. Open the Downloader app once it‘s finished installing. In the URL box at the top, enter https://bit.ly/tptbox and click Go to open the toolbox.

3. In the toolbox menu, scroll down and select the SmartTubeNext APK file. Click Download.

4. When the download completes, select Install to finish setting up SmartTubeNext.

5. You‘ll see a "Ready to launch" message once it installs successfully. Click Open to start using SmartTubeNext!

That‘s all it takes to get up and running with SmartTubeNext on your Fire TV Stick 4K, Firestick Lite, Fire TV Cube, or any Firestick model. It‘s a quick and painless process.

Next let‘s cover installing on Android TV devices.

Install SmartTubeNext on Android TV

To get SmartTubeNext set up on Android TV boxes like NVIDIA Shield, Xiaomi Mi Box S, etc. follow these simple steps:

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android TV device. Search for and install the FileLinked app.

2. Launch the FileLinked app and enter code 24448876 when prompted. Click Next.

3. You‘ll see the FileLinked app store. Scroll down and select the SmartTubeNext APK to download it.

4. Once finished, click the Install button to complete the setup.

5. You can now open SmartTubeNext from your Android TV‘s app menu and enjoy!

The FileLinked app store makes it easy to install apps not available on the Google Play store.

That covers getting SmartTubeNext up and running on your streaming device. Next I‘ll explain how to connect your YouTube account.

How to Sign Into SmartTubeNext

Signing into SmartTubeNext with your regular YouTube or Google account unlocks personalized features like subscriptions, watch history, playlists, and more.

Here‘s how to connect your account:

1. Launch SmartTubeNext and tap the account/profile icon in the top right corner.

2. Choose Sign In and enter your YouTube or Google account credentials when prompted.

3. You‘ll see an authorization code. Go to youtube.com/activate and enter that code to link your account.

4. After you complete authorization on the YouTube site, your account will be connected within SmartTubeNext.

5. You can now access all of your regular YouTube account content and customizations inside SmartTubeNext ad-free!

Signing in takes just a minute or two. It brings over all of your personal YouTube data for an optimized watching experience.

Now let‘s go over some tips and tricks for customizing SmartTubeNext to your preferences.

SmartTubeNext Tips, Tricks, and Customization

Here are some of my favorite tips to help you tailor SmartTubeNext‘s settings and features to your needs:

• Dive into the Settings menu and play around with options like default video quality, theme colors, gestures, subtitles, kids mode, and much more.

• Try out the different built-in visual themes like Dark, Black, OLED, and others to change the app‘s look.

• You can enable the "Hide Shorts" setting if you don‘t want YouTube Shorts videos showing up in your main feed and recommendations.

• Turn on Background Play if you want to be able to listen to YouTube audio like music with the screen off.

• Configure SmartTubeNext‘s Kids Mode to only show age appropriate content on a child‘s device.

• Take advantage of downloading videos for offline viewing later when you won‘t have internet connectivity.

• Use YouTube playlists to organize videos into categories like Music, News, Cooking, Gaming, etc.

Spend some time exploring all of the customizable options in SmartTubeNext‘s settings and account menu. Tailor it to match your preferences for the best ad-free streaming experience.

Next up I‘ll answer some frequently asked questions about SmartTubeNext.

SmartTubeNext FAQs

Here are answers to some of the most common questions people have about the SmartTubeNext app:

Is SmartTubeNext legal to use?

Yes, SmartTubeNext itself does not host or stream any illegal content. It simply blocks ads on YouTube. You still need to follow YouTube‘s terms of service and avoid piracy.

Is it safe to install SmartTubeNext?

Independent researchers have found no malware, viruses, or other threats associated with SmartTubeNext. However, it is not an official YouTube app so install at your own discretion. Using a VPN is recommended.

Can I get banned from YouTube for using SmartTubeNext?

There are no reports of accounts being banned solely for using SmartTubeNext. Just be sure you aren‘t watching pirated content or violating other YouTube rules.

Does SmartTubeNext work on iPhone or iPad?

Unfortunately SmartTubeNext is only available for Android devices at this time. There is no iOS version for iPhone, iPad, etc.

Why does SmartTubeNext show a parsing error?

This usually happens when YouTube pushes an update that creates a compatibility issue. Check for SmartTubeNext app updates and clear cache/data to resolve parsing errors.

Can I cast SmartTubeNext videos to my TV?

Yes, SmartTubeNext supports casting to devices like Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, and most other streaming players. Tap the cast icon in the corner of a video to send it to your TV.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help out fellow cordcutters in getting the most out of apps like SmartTubeNext.

Closing Recommendations

I hope this guide has shown you how to successfully install SmartTubeNext on your streaming device and enjoy ad-free YouTube.

The developers do a great job pushing frequent updates to squash bugs and keep it working properly with YouTube changes.

I recommend connecting a VPN like Surfshark or NordVPN when using third-party apps to ensure privacy and security.

And as always, use SmartTubeNext responsibly by avoiding pirated content or other ToS violations.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help fellow cordcutters get the most out of their apps and devices. Enjoy your ad-free YouTube experience!