A content provider retrieves video and channel information. It is separate from your local subscription library and from the player that plays the media.
Local API and Invidious
Local API retrieves information directly from YouTube using the extractor included with OpenTubeX. YouTube receives those requests. If a YouTube change breaks extraction, an app update may be needed.
Invidious API retrieves information through the Invidious server you select. That server contacts YouTube on your behalf and can observe your requests. Its availability depends on the operator and whether YouTube is blocking it.
Neither option requires you to transfer your local subscriptions to a YouTube account. Choosing Invidious alone does not guarantee that every connection avoids YouTube: video proxying, fallback, and other enabled features also matter.
Change the provider
- Open Settings → Advanced.
- Find Preferred API Backend under the provider settings.
- Choose Local API, Invidious API, or Yattee Server.
- If choosing Invidious, review Invidious instance and select the server you intend to use. If choosing Yattee Server, enter your server’s details as described in Use your own Yattee server.
- Retry the same search or video to check the change.
Preferred API Backend and fallback are in the Video and metadata providers section of Advanced settings.
Use settings search if the controls are not immediately visible. Choose an instance you trust rather than pasting an unknown server address solely because it appears in an error workaround.
Choose a stream extraction method
In Settings → Advanced → Video and metadata providers, find Stream extraction method. This chooses how the app obtains playable streams; Preferred API Backend controls the provider used for video and channel information. A page loading successfully does not necessarily mean its media streams can be extracted.
| Method | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Built-in | Use the app’s included stream extraction. Live streams and premieres play at the live edge without seeking. |
| yt-dlp | Use yt-dlp for stream extraction, including seeking in live streams and premieres when YouTube provides a rewindable stream. It must be available, and videos may take longer to start. |
Stream extraction method selects how to obtain playable streams; Preferred API Backend is a separate choice.
The stream extraction method is not available in OpenTubeX Lite or the web demo, which have no yt-dlp.
On desktop and Android, configure or update yt-dlp under Settings → Advanced → External Software. On Android, that section offers Update yt-dlp and yt-dlp cookies; desktop executable paths only apply on desktop.
Automatically switch stream extraction methods is on by default. If one method fails, OpenTubeX tries the other. To pick a method for a single video, select the Change Media Formats button below the video. If search and channel pages work but playback still fails, note which method you tried, try the other one, and retry the same public video. Record which method worked when reporting the problem. The method does not download a permanent offline copy; use Downloads for that.
Understand fallback
Fallback to Non-Preferred Backend on Failure allows the app to try another backend when the preferred backend fails. It is off by default. Fallback can improve availability, but it can also send requests to a service you were trying to avoid. When an Invidious or Yattee request falls back to YouTube directly, OpenTubeX warns that your IP address is exposed to YouTube.
Search settings for fallback, review the setting, and leave it off if you need to control which provider receives requests. Trending needs the Local API; with Invidious or Yattee Server, it only works when fallback is on. Record your original settings before troubleshooting so you can restore them afterward.
Proxy video through Invidious
Search settings for Proxy Videos Through Invidious to review video proxying. It is only available while an Invidious instance is in use. When supported by the selected playback path, this sends video requests through the instance rather than directly to YouTube. Proxying can affect speed and availability.
Do not assume this switch controls external players or every playback engine. OpenTubeX’s privacy policy describes exposure for local extraction, Invidious, and yt-dlp separately.
When a provider stops working
Try another public video, check for an app update, and check whether the selected instance is reachable. With the Local API, if videos often buffer, try Always use backup media server, which streams from YouTube’s backup server instead of the assigned one. If you change providers as a test, note whether search, channel pages, or playback improved; that distinction helps a bug report.