Redirecting YouTube Links to PipePipe Application

[kabaqtepeli]

Hello,

I've been using Kiss Launcher for a long time and I'm very happy with it. First of all, I want to thank everyone who contributed to its development.

I have the following issue: When I perform a YouTube search from Kiss Launcher's search bar, it opens the official YouTube app. However, I want the search results to open in the PipePipe application instead.

To achieve this, I disabled the YouTube app and went to my Android phone’s settings, where I set PipePipe as the default app for all YouTube links. After that, I tried searching on YouTube using Kiss Launcher’s search bar again. However, this time, it started opening the link in a browser instead of PipePipe. It still does not open in PipePipe.

Does anyone know a solution to this issue? If not, how can we solve it?

Thanks in advance!

[daffydock]

I currently use 3 different launchers based on location profiles.

Anyway, I use KISS, TinyBit Launcher and another one, and none open YT searches on either NewPipe and at least 2 other forks. Other sites like Wikioedia, etc, work.

Like OP, links go to whatever browser is set as default. I have removed YT via ADB from user0 and have set Newpipe and its forks at one point or another as the default YT links and nothing. Always to the browser.

In my experimenting, I have found one app that does work on all. If you set it as the default YT link opener and that is Freetube.
Works without issue. Which is both great but suboptimal as NewPipe and its forks have a multitude of options/settings that Freetube lacks.

Problem seems to be be with either Android, or or far more likely, NewPipe. Since like you defaulting to NewPipe does nothing.

I have searched for an answer and I have not been able to find something that I have not already tried.

As FYI: This phone is on Android 15.

[TBog]

Currently "Search engines" work using a URI and that means that the application that is registered in Android to receive the link will get that intent we send.
I've seen Tasker uses a more customized way of handling the intent but not many users know how to set it up.
We could try to find a middle ground but my user interfaces usually look bad.

[daffydock]

@TBog Fair.
Newpipe or the forks of Newpipe I used, were all setup properly under Open Supported Links during testing. They do not work as the intent goes to the default browser, however if set as default, Freetube for Android does open the intent from both KISS and TB out of the box.

I am left wondering as to why Freetube works while Newpipe fails. Perhaps the issue could be addressed by Newpipe upstream, albeit I read others are able to open YT links without problems, presumably from other launchers. I tried it on Kvaesitso and NP does not work but again Freetube does.

Do not know if something could be done on the launcher end.
Lastly, in my specific use case, although I paid for Tasker years ago the app will not work well for me on a Degoogled phone anymore, even with MicroG. I have since learned to live without it for 95% of cases as I do not want to install GPS or the PS or repurchase the app via direct license.

For the time being, I am getting around by having a shortcut on the dock that starts Newpipe's RouterActivity which directly opens into app's search field. Or in Kvaesitso, you can share the contents of the search field right into Newpipe. Neither approach is optimal, however.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[TBog]

As we can see from the NewPipe AndroidManifest the intent-filter is set up only for channel, video and playlist links as far as I can see. We would need an intent-filter for search.

[daffydock]

Ha. I see. Thank you @TBog for shedding some light into this.

[creativeghostfish]

Hi, did you figure this out?

Just in case:
I have this (somewhat) working. I don't think I have changed anything with KISS, however.

If I click a link in Firefox it opens in the browser rather than PipePipe (but it does ask, so it ends up opening in both). The same thing occurs with GitHub links, particularly APKs which will open in the browser and ask if it should open in the app as well. If I say yes then it downloads the APK twice.
Similarly, if I click a mobile game link it will open the game's PlayStore listing rather than the game itself.

For YouTube links only, if I click a link in a different app (say Thunder, Textra, or a mobile game) it opens directly in PipePipe without asking.

Questions related to how I (sort of) "fixed" it:

1. Did you change YouTube to not allow it to open links?
2. Did you disable YouTube?
3. Did you add all of the links? YouTube has a bunch (plus there are the other sites like Invidious that your phone may not know what to do with). Here are screenshots of what mine has. (Alt Text is in first image only for ease of understanding the list):