uTube 2.3.0

uTube 2.3.0

A shared red identity, a clearer desktop library, and smoother terminal downloads.

Desktop and terminal

• Use Home, Library, and Downloads with thumbnail cards, playlist groups, search, and a floating navigation bar.
• Open a saved file or its folder from each video's action menu. Quality labels sit with the video details.
• Enjoy more consistent spacing, folder controls, Arabic layouts, and warm dark colors.
• In the CLI, see channel, duration, views, format, and destination together. Downloading and media processing stay in one progress display, while retries remain quiet.
• The installed desktop worker now bundles its YouTube client instead of requiring packages from the source checkout.

Downloads

Linux x64: DEB, AppImage, and ZIP packages are included in this release.
Install the DEB with sudo apt install ./uTube-Desktop-2.3.0-linux-x64.deb;
apt also installs FFmpeg. AppImage and ZIP users need FFmpeg separately for
MP3 conversion and HD merging. Extract the entire ZIP before launching.

CLI: npm install -g utube-cli@2.3.0. Node.js 20+ and FFmpeg are required.

Android: the separately versioned signed Android 1.0.0 APK
is already available for Android 10+ ARM64 and x86-64 devices. It bundles its
media tools and JavaScript, and does not require Metro or a computer.

Windows and macOS: no new installers are published in 2.3.0. Existing 2.2.0
previews remain available and unsigned. Trusted Windows signing and macOS
notarization are required before new public installers can be released.
The signing checks have not been bypassed.

The website now matches the apps, with
English/Arabic copy, light/dark appearance, real screenshots you can enlarge,
and direct Android downloads.

Linux packages have SHA-256 checksums alongside the assets. Interrupted
transfers restart when retried; automatic desktop updates are not included.

uTube for Android 1.0.0

uTube for Android 1.0.0

The first signed Android release brings uTube's download queue and library to your phone.

Install

Download uTube-android-1.0.0.apk and open it on an Android 10+ device.
The APK supports ARM64 phones and x86-64 devices and runs without Metro,
Node.js, or separately installed FFmpeg. Android may ask you to allow your
browser or file manager to install apps.

Development and prototype builds use a different signing identity. If you
installed one, save any history you need and uninstall it before installing
this release. Files already saved in Downloads / uTube remain there.
Subsequent production updates use the same permanent signing key.

Included

• MP4 video and MP3 audio, including adaptive HD video with merged audio.
• Quality selection, quiet fallback attempts, and the actual saved quality.
• Playlists with item selection and separate folders.
• Background downloads, persistent history, cancellation, and retry.
• Thumbnail cards, search, filters, playlist groups, file opening and sharing.
• Removal from history without deleting downloaded media.
• English and Arabic, RTL layouts, and light/dark/system themes.
• The red uTube identity and warm dark appearance.

Android can stop background work after a force-stop, restart, battery policy,
or service time limit. Interrupted entries can be retried; partial downloads
start again. iOS is not included. YouTube changes may require app updates.

Verify the download

Compare the APK's SHA-256 hash with SHA256SUMS.txt from this release.
The public production signing certificate is checked into
apps/mobile/android/release-signing-certificate.pem; the private key is
never part of the repository or release assets.

The release also includes media-library notices and
uTube-android-1.0.0-media-sources.tar, containing corresponding versioned
media sources and build recipes. uTube source is available through the
release tag. See apps/mobile/THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for relinking instructions.

Maintainer checklist

1. Run npm ci, npm run mobile:check, and the mobile tests.
2. Run npm run mobile:release with JDK 17, the documented Android SDK, and
   private signing credentials. This verifies the APK signature, version,
   architectures, bundled JavaScript, non-debuggable setting, and 16 KB alignment.
3. Install the signed release on a clean test device. Check standalone startup,
   a video download, and media processing; keep the test report with the release.
4. Collect media sources with scripts/collect-media-sources.py, package the
   sources/notices/rebuild instructions, and generate SHA-256 hashes for assets.
5. Commit the release changes, tag android-v1.0.0, and publish the APK and
   companion assets to GitHub Releases. Android tags are separate from CLI/desktop tags.

Back up .private/android securely offline. It contains the permanent signing
identity and its credentials, required for all future updates. Do not upload
that directory or its files to GitHub.

uTube 2.2.0

uTube 2.2.0

Build your offline collection with the new desktop app, or keep downloading from your terminal.

Desktop

• Preview videos and playlists, choose individual items, and download MP4 videos or MP3 audio.
• Keep your queue and history across restarts, search by video or playlist, and open completed files directly.
• Choose light, dark, or system appearance. Use English or Arabic with full right-to-left layout support.
• Cancel downloads, retry interrupted items, and keep your folder and preferences between sessions.

Better downloads in both interfaces

• Try alternate encodings and clients at your requested quality before falling back to the best working lower resolution.
• Retry rejected stream ranges quietly, with progress that does not keep restarting.
• Share one download engine between the terminal and desktop.

Downloads

• Linux x64: .deb, .AppImage, or .zip.
• Windows x64: Setup.exe or .zip.
• macOS: .dmg or .zip, separately labeled for Apple Silicon (arm64) and Intel (x64).
• CLI: npm install -g utube-cli@2.2.0 once the npm version is available.

Install the Debian package with sudo apt install ./uTube-Desktop-2.2.0-linux-x64.deb; apt installs FFmpeg as a dependency. For AppImage, make the file executable before opening it. ZIP archives must be extracted completely before launching the app.

FFmpeg is required separately for MP3 conversion and HD merging on Windows, macOS, and portable Linux builds. These desktop builds are unsigned and macOS builds are not notarized, so operating-system security prompts may appear. Use the SHA256SUMS files to verify downloads.

This is the first public desktop preview. Linux has desktop integration coverage; native Windows and macOS packages are built on their own runners, but interactive testing on those platforms is still limited. Interrupted downloads restart from the beginning when retried. Automatic desktop updates are not included.

uTube CLI 2.1.0 — MP3 downloads

MP3 downloads are here

Download single videos or selected playlist items as 192 kbps MP3, with title metadata. Choose Download audio (MP3) in the menu or use --audio / -a:

npm install -g utube-cli@latest
utube --audio -u "https://youtu.be/jNQXAC9IVRw"

FFmpeg is required for MP3 conversion. Do not combine --audio with -q, which selects video resolution. Audio mode reuses retries, client fallback, existing-file skipping, and failed-download cleanup.

Also improved

• Resolution requests such as 720p now match available 720p60 streams without dropping to 360p.
• Rewritten README with practical examples, controls, troubleshooting, and upgrade notes.
• Real FFmpeg/FFprobe coverage for MP3 encoding, 480p/720p/1080p merging, and audio recovery.

Validation

All 22 tests pass, with no skipped media checks. A clean installation of the release tarball passes version/help checks. A live MP3 download and an interactive playlist audio flow were verified during development.

Node.js 20 or newer is required. YouTube availability and alternate-client fallback can affect the final video resolution.

Full changelog

uTube CLI 2.0.0 — Back in action

uTube is back with repaired YouTube downloads and a redesigned interactive terminal.

What changed

• A home menu, rounded panels, colors, and repeat-download sessions.
• Clear video/audio progress and playlist summaries.
• Download all playlist videos or choose individual items.
• Fixed newer playlist entries being reported as empty.
• Small ranged transfers, safe retries, refreshed links, and alternate-client fallback for rejected streams.
• FFmpeg merging for separate video/audio streams, safer filenames, and failed-download cleanup.
• Offline help, version, and settings commands.

Install or update

npm install -g utube-cli@latest
utube --version

Before upgrading

Requires Node.js 20 or newer. FFmpeg must be on your PATH for separate-stream merging. Updates are manual. Record your old download folder before upgrading and set it again afterward if needed. Filenames now include video IDs, so older files may be downloaded again. The alternate client may offer a different resolution, which the app reports.

Validation

All 13 regression tests pass. The packed npm artifact was installed and smoke-tested in a clean directory. Live Linux downloads were verified for videos and playlist items, including all three previously failing videos with both audio and video. Windows and macOS need broader testing.

Full details: Changelog.