TubeNow v1.0.0

TubeNow v1.0.0

TubeNow v1.0.0 provides a focused desktop window for the official YouTube
website, with separate Electron and Tauri packages for common desktop targets.
The release keeps user-facing behavior consistent while allowing the browser
runtime and installation footprint to differ between the two shells.

Highlights

• Official YouTube playback, persistent sign-in, Shorts navigation, and live
  stream support.
• A 1080p default playback target for quicker starts, with higher quality
  levels still available when supported by the video and device.
• Local Shields with a user-visible protection summary.
• Tray controls, background playback preferences, and supported Windows
  taskbar playback controls.
• Fullscreen from the YouTube player control, video double-click, F, and
  F11; Esc exits fullscreen.
• Optional video downloads through yt-dlp after explicit user consent.
• Separate installer names that identify the shell, operating system, and
  architecture.

Release packages

Shell	Platform	Architecture	Release package
Electron	Windows 10/11	x64	TubeNow-Electron-windows-x64.zip
Electron	macOS	Universal: Intel + Apple Silicon	TubeNow-Electron-macos-universal.zip
Electron	Linux	x86_64	TubeNow-Electron-linux-x64.zip
Electron	Linux	ARM64	TubeNow-Electron-linux-arm64.zip
Tauri	Windows 10/11	x64	TubeNow-Tauri-windows-x64.zip
Tauri	macOS	Universal: Intel + Apple Silicon	TubeNow-Tauri-macos-universal.zip
Tauri	Linux	x86_64	TubeNow-Tauri-linux-x64.zip
Tauri	Linux	ARM64	TubeNow-Tauri-linux-arm64.zip

The release page should contain these eight ZIP packages and checksums.txt.
There is no single cross-platform installer. Windows and Linux packages are
architecture-specific. The macOS package is universal across Intel and Apple
Silicon. Extract the ZIP that matches the intended shell, operating system,
and architecture before installing it.

Excluded from v1.0.0

Windows ARM64 packages for both Electron and Tauri are not included in this
release. The public release makes no Windows ARM64 support claim. Keep any
Windows ARM64 build artifacts out of the public asset list until a later
release has a tested native ARM64 package.

yt-dlp consent

The first download request checks whether yt-dlp is available. If it is not,
TubeNow asks for permission before installing it. The installation is performed
by the desktop application after native confirmation. Choosing Not now or
rejecting that confirmation displays a notice and prevents the active video
from being downloaded. A later request may accept the installation, or a
manually installed yt-dlp may be used instead.

Some output formats also require FFmpeg. Use downloads only where the relevant
terms, permissions, and media rights allow saving the content.

Platform notice

The v1.0.0 workflow does not include platform-signing credentials. Windows and
macOS may therefore display a publisher or Gatekeeper warning on first launch.
Download only from the official release page, verify checksums.txt, and use
the installer that matches the intended shell and architecture.

Choosing a shell

• Choose Electron for the most predictable first install, especially on
  managed computers or systems with an outdated webview.
• Choose Tauri when a smaller shell is preferred and the operating system's
  webview is current and reliable.

See the platform guide for the full comparison.

Important boundary

TubeNow is independent software. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or
endorsed by YouTube or Google LLC. The public repository contains release
documentation and installers; implementation source and private engineering
material remain in a separate private repository.