YouTube Vanced is forced to shut down by Google for ‘legal reasons.’

Following a legal threat from Google, the popular Vanced YouTube software will be withdrawn. Vanced’s founders have announced that the project would be shut down in the next few days, with all download links withdrawn. While the app will continue to work for those who have it loaded on Android, it is expected to stop running at some point in the near future if there are no more updates. The Vanced owners claim they were forced to abandon the project “for legal reasons.”

Vanced is a popular Android third-party YouTube app that allows users to disable all video advertising on YouTube without having to pay for a Premium subscription. Vanced also features customizations not available in the original YouTube for Android app, such as a pure black theme.

Vanced is the most recent victim of Google’s crackdown on third-party YouTube apps. Last year, Google-owned YouTube took down two popular Discord music bots before launching a test of ad-supported YouTube integration in Discord just weeks later. The popular Discord music bots Rythm and Groovy also evaded advertisements, allowing Discord members to listen to music together.