Alternative apps often offer something very different from the baseline options and tend to offer options that should come as standard but instead offered as a premium option and being seen more often now that a greater number of apps and a greater number of users turn to mobile. These features can come as users on streaming platforms share details to avoid multiple subscription cost, seek out special deals as some ask what is the Ladbrokes bonus code for online wagering for example, or in the case of Vanced, the ability to download YouTube videos directly and listen whilst minimized. If anything, the cease and desist of Vanced shows what is common to see today in tech, useability and accessibility mean little and the profit game is more important.
(Image from arstechnica.com)
There are a host of similar options for those looking to get all of the features of YouTube premium without paying the premium price for it, some will offer much of the same with an almost copy of features but some will be more limited in this space too, and for now all appear to be working as normal – for some of the smaller options they’re likely already well on the radar, and will be targeted in the future, and so may not be around for the longer term. Other apps and extensions such as those that block ads too have already been outlined as something that will change over time too.
In the meantime, there are opportunities for new alternatives to emerge and grow to fill this space, and perhaps take advantage of the inevitable changes that will make older alternatives non-usable, but as these grow over time it’ll be the same story in which they’re discovered, grow, and then receive notice to close and eventually may lead to the time in which finding a workaround is much more difficult, and in some instances not entirely possible either.
Tech companies in some essence have become a victim of their own success – the head of Valve, Gabe Newell, once famously stated that piracy is almost always a problem of service, rather than pricing, and the trend is coming around once again – viewers are turning to alternative online streaming as pricing for platforms like Netflix have increased, when base features are missing from applications users will turn to alternatives like Vanced rather than paying a premium price – prices seem to only be going up, and base apps seem to be light versions of what they should be, and whilst Google are making a move here, alternatives will continue to be vital because frustration over the official options will only lead users away.
