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Download & installation

Flimmer

YouTube without ads

Flimmer fetches videos directly through YouTube’s internal API and plays them itself – ads are never even loaded. With SponsorBlock, DeArrow, subscriptions without a Google account, live chat, mini player and automatic updates.

Current version: latest version

What Flimmer looks like

Video page: player with the SponsorBlock bar (blue = end cards), subtitles, quality, subscribe and hide channelVideo page: player with the SponsorBlock bar (blue = end cards), subtitles, quality, subscribe and hide channelVideo page: player with the SponsorBlock bar (blue = end cards), subtitles, quality, subscribe and hide channel Search with filters for videos, channels and playlistsSearch with filters for videos, channels and playlistsSearch with filters for videos, channels and playlists Channel page – the video keeps playing in the mini player at the bottom rightChannel page – the video keeps playing in the mini player at the bottom rightChannel page – the video keeps playing in the mini player at the bottom right Home page with “Continue watching” – the history stays on the deviceHome page with “Continue watching” – the history stays on the deviceHome page with “Continue watching” – the history stays on the device Settings: choose per SponsorBlock category whether it is skippedSettings: choose per SponsorBlock category whether it is skippedSettings: choose per SponsorBlock category whether it is skipped
Screenshots of the Mac version with a fresh profile, using the freely licensed Blender films as an example (“Spring” © Blender Foundation, CC BY 4.0). Light or dark follows the switch at the top right.

Download

Windows

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit

Download · Installer (.exe)

Alternatively: MSI package

  1. Download and run the installer.
  2. Windows SmartScreen says “Windows protected your PC”: click “More info”, then “Run anyway”.
  3. Follow the installer – Flimmer then appears in the Start menu.

macOS

Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later)

Download · App (.zip)
  1. Download the ZIP. Safari usually unpacks it; otherwise double-click it.
  2. Drag Flimmer into your Applications folder.
  3. On first launch macOS says the app could not be verified: click “Done”, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose “Open Anyway” next to Flimmer at the bottom. (Up to macOS 14, right-click the app → “Open” is enough.)

Android

Phone/tablet with Android 7 or later (64-bit ARM, 32-bit as well from version 0.5.18)

Download · App (.apk)
  1. Download the APK on your device and open the file.
  2. Android asks whether your browser or file manager may install apps: tap “Allow” (install unknown apps).
  3. Tap “Install”. If Google Play Protect warns, choose “Install anyway”.
  4. Updates: from version 0.5.18 on, Flimmer announces new versions itself and installs them at the push of a button – settings and subscriptions are kept.

Google TV

TV with Google TV or Android TV, from Flimmer 0.5.18 – tested on a TCL TV (Android 14)

Download · App (.apk), same as for Android
  1. On the TV, install the “Downloader” app (or a file manager) from the Play Store.
  2. In Downloader, enter muehlbronner.de/download/flimmer/android – it always leads to the latest APK.
  3. The TV asks whether Downloader may install apps: allow it (Settings → Apps → Security & restrictions → Unknown sources; on some devices only after enabling developer options).
  4. Choose “Install”. Flimmer shows up with its own banner in the app row and is fully usable with the remote: D-pad, OK, Back and the playback keys.
  5. Flimmer announces updates itself; “Update now” is already selected.

User guide

Everything about using Flimmer: installation on every system, using it on Google TV with the remote, playback, mini player, SponsorBlock, subscriptions and import, library, AirPlay and Chromecast, all settings, shortcuts and troubleshooting. Available in German.

Read the guide (German) →

Developer docs

How Flimmer is built: Tauri 2 and Svelte, YouTube clients, playback engines and fallbacks, the Rust media proxy, Chromecast, the release process, Android and iOS. Available in German.

Read the developer docs (German) →

Why the warnings?

Flimmer is not (yet) signed with Apple, Microsoft or Google, so the systems ask for confirmation on first launch. The files come straight from the official release on GitHub; on desktop, Flimmer only installs updates with a valid signature.

Updates

On Windows, macOS and Linux, Flimmer checks for new versions itself (Settings → Updates), and on Android and Google TV from version 0.5.18 on as well. The buttons on this page always lead to the latest version.

All versions and changes on GitHub →

Flimmer is not affiliated with YouTube or Google. · App privacy policy (German)