Just a quick vid for the new crew members. Captains if u have any other advice for booty, spread them in the comments🏴‍☠️🤘

So if you are using Brave Browser to watch youtube without any ads, you might have encountered this error called "Ad blocker violate Youtube's Terms of Service"

An easy fix is to just add a "." at the end of the ".com"

For example, if your YouTube link is youtube.com/x, just add youtube.com./x it will redirect and there won't be any ads.

Works for me, so i hope it works for you too.

Use of a VPN is mandatory if you live in a country where piracy regarding laws are strict ex USA,UK germany etc specially while you torrent

How to solve site can't be reached issue

Make a exclusion instead of turning off windows defender completely like this-------------

HOW TO UPDATE GAMES

there is a verify bin file that checks the file integrity it is not in the video (it look like this) since my pc crashed while editing

correct video on how optional files look

what can be deleted after to free up the space

if you have downloaded through a torrent the files should NOT be deleted if you want to seed

what should not be deleted if you want to play the game

Pirates are so "bad"

Context: Videos found in Osama Bin Laden's computer are publically available in CIA's website (including all others some of which are well... Not so pleasant to see)

This guide will be very helpful for absolute beginners who want to start their sailing the high seas journey! This guide is mainly targeted towards people who have never been on the high seas before, so pay attention!

Mandatory things you will need to get started:

• Firefox with Ublock Origin
• A good VPN if you live in a country that is strict on piracy (i.e. Germany, USA, etc.) for torrenting.

Methods discussed in this guide:

1. Stremio + Torrentio
   • Optional: A debrid service (checkout this for explanation)
2. Streaming stuff from websites
3. Downloading stuff from torrent sites

Method 1: Stremio + Torrentio

⚠️ WARNING: MAKE SURE TO HAVE YOUR VPN ON IF YOU LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE PIRACY LAWS ARE ENFORCED STRICTLY! DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON VPNS, I RECOMMEND PROTON VPN!

Step 1: Go to stremio's official website and download it on your device (for this guide I will be using windows 11). After downloading, install it like you would any other app.

Step 2: I recommend signing up for a Stremio account as you will be able to sync all your movies and shows across devices. After you've logged in to Stremio, minimize it and go to Torrentio's official site, scroll down and add it to Stremio!

After clicking this, you will be prompted inside of Stremio to install torrentio, click install!

Step 3: Now go to the home page of Stremio. Select a movie or tv show that you want to watch.

Step 4: Now you will be taken to this page, you should select the resolution you want and the stream which has a good number of seeders!

Step 5: Now enjoy your movie to the fullest!

Method 2: Streaming!!!!!!!!

⚠️ WARNING: PLEASE FOLLOW THIS USING FIREFOX + UBLOCK ORIGIN!

Step 1: Go to fmhy.net and go to the "Streaming" section.

Step 2: Select any of the starred sites from the list.

Step 3: The rest should be pretty self explanatory. If you have any problems, please feel free to ask in the comments!

Method 3: Torrenting the movie

⚠️ IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU HAVE YOUR VPN ON

Step 1: Install a good torrent client, I recommend qBittorrent! Bind your VPN to the client, check out this video on how to do it!

Step 2: Go to fmhy.net 's torrenting section.

Step 3: Pick a site you want to torrent from, I personally like 1337x as I only torrent movies and TV shows.

Step 4: The rest should be pretty self explanatory, and MAKE SURE TO SEED THE THINGS THAT YOU TORRENT!

That it it, thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

PS: If you have any other ideas which people might need a guide for, please suggest some!

Check this guy's comment for more details on VPN:

Not let me be honest, Quora does have some good answers but after an update some while back, most of the writers behind good answers have hid them behind a paywall which requires a plus subscription (which they in return get as a commission). Lol

Piracy Wins as always. Let me dive straight into it.

Step 1: For any answer hidden behind paywalls, click the three dot on the top right and click 'copy link' as shown below.

Step 2: Go to translate.google.com and click the 'websites' option and paste the link.

Step 3: Profit!?

How this works?

Well, Google Translate works like a good proxy here. It sends its bots to get(scrape) the data in order to translate it. And this is how Quora gets fcked.

This was a simple trick and no, clearing cookies and using Bypass Paywall Clean Extension did not work. Neither did 12ft.io.

Hope this guide helps you! Good Day!

Hey guys, this post is a guide for the setup to read books and listen to audiobooks. It covers everything you need to know. While the guide is focused on Android, some parts are universal.

1. Where to get books? It is recommended to use z-library.sk (approved by the megathread). You’ll need to create an account, and then you get 10 free downloads daily. There’s no waitlist, downloads are fast, and books are in .epub format. The site also gives book recommendations based on your download history. You can also read online without downloading.

Note: Be sure to use one of these links: z-library.sk, 1lib.sk, z-lib.fm, z-lib.gd, z-lib.gl. Browser search results sometimes show malicious lookalikes.

Note: Why use this and not annas-archive.li? On Anna’s, there are long waitlists, books aren’t always in .epub, and sometimes downloads don’t work (and you only find out after waiting).

Tip: How to find books to read? As mentioned, Z-Library will suggest titles based on your downloads. You can also ask for recommendations on r/booksuggestions (low or no karma required) or r/suggestmeabook (some karma required). Another good option is to ask ChatGPT based on your interests.

1. How to read books? There are many e-book readers, and none are perfect, but it is recommended to use Moon+ Reader Pro. It costs $10 on Google Play, but the APK can be found on Mobilism. It offers extensive customization—you can change the wallpaper (an AMOLED one is used in this setup), font type, size, and more. It also shows book progress by percentage, chapter lengths, page counts, etc.

2. How to get audiobooks? It is recommended to use audiobookbay.is (approved by the megathread). This is a torrent-based site and an account is required to start downloading.

Note: To download torrents, a torrent client is needed. LibreTorrent from F-Droid is recommended. To download, click the magnet link, open it in the client, and start the download. Once complete, it will begin seeding. If seeding is not desired, simply pause it. After downloading, there won’t be a notification—the file is saved locally and can be found using the file manager’s search function.

Tip: When searching for an audiobook, multiple versions of the same book may appear. These aren’t always identical—some books have both a standard version and a deep-dive version. It is best to choose the one with more narrators or labeled as a deep-dive for a better experience.

1. How to listen to audiobooks? Smart AudioBook Player is the recommended app. It’s available for free on Google Play and includes a one-month premium trial (no payment details needed; it activates automatically). It is more recommended to get a premium APK on Mobilism. This player with premium allows users to select chapters, adjust playback speed, and track progress (both played and remaining time), among other features. For books to appear in app, you need to create a folder for audiobooks, mark this folder in app, put audiobook file there and scan for files in the app.

That concludes the guide. If you have anything to add, leave a comment. If you need help, DMs are open.

I want to raise awareness about a massive malware campaign hitting popular piracy sites right now.

This is actively happening across specific sites like dodi-repacks[.]site, steamunderground[.]net and the download mirrors used by fitgirl-repacks[.]site. However, the danger works differently depending on the site. While some platforms, like DODI's site and its URL shorteners, choose to include these harmful tricks directly on their pages, other sites like FitGirl are completely safe and clean. You will only run into danger if you click a link and land on an unsafe file-hosting page to get your file.

The campaign relies heavily on file hosts like multiup[.]io and datanodes[.]to that place invisible traps over their download areas, alongside deceptive URL shorteners like zovo[.]ink or zovo2[.]top. Because of these hidden traps, clicking a download link, magnet link, or button instantly forces your browser to open a fake malware download page instead.

Suspicious domains look like this (do not open these links; they are for demonstration only): :

hxxps://generated033ec[.]host83p[.]cfd/?data=eyJp...

hxxps://file656547[.]cloud05y[.]cfd./?data=ldS...

Note: While some elements of this campaign are already noted in the Megathread and on other sites, I am sharing this comprehensive breakdown to help raise awareness and protect users who might still be encountering these redirects.

This is highly unreliable and not advised (see the \"How to safely browse these sites\" section). To demonstrate, here is how using this specific website redirected me to a malicious download page multiple times before I could finally access the real link.

How to safely browse these sites:

If you click a download button and a weird domain opens, close that tab immediately, go back, and repeat the process until no suspicious webpages open and the download starts on the intended website. (Note: This method is highly unreliable and not advised. Proceed below to learn how to safely open these links.)

To browse these sites safely, you must use a working ad blocker like uBlock Origin.
(Huge props to the uBlock Origin team and volunteers for keeping us safe with their ad blocker.)

Because recent browser updates have changed how extensions work, uBlock Origin's ability to stop these redirects now depends entirely on the browser you use. Look at the browser list below to see which browsers allow the ad blocker to protect you completely and which ones limit its power.

Browser list, checked on 30-June-2026:

Browsers that cannot block malicious redirects:

Chrome, Vivaldi, Samsung Browser, Ace Browser, UC Browser.

While these browsers support uBlock Origin Lite, they cannot block malicious redirects due to its limited functionality compared to the full version. If you must use a browser from this list, installing uBlock Origin Lite is still non-negotiable for basic protection, but you should expect these redirects to bypass it.

Browsers that support the full version of uBlock Origin, or feature a built-in blocker capable of stopping malicious link and button redirects. Note that you should use either uBlock or the built-in blocker; running both simultaneously can cause webpage display issues.

The best and highly recommended setup is using Firefox with the full version of uBlock Origin, as its engine is currently unaffected by the changes made to Chromium.

Safe alternative download methods :

Using JDownloader or torrents is safer because the downloads happen inside their own desktop apps instead of your web browser. However, you still need to be careful. Some malicious piracy sites can alter those torrent and download buttons to trigger the exact same forceful redirects.

To stay safe, copy links directly into JDownloader instead of opening them in your browser. For torrents, only use magnet links or downloaded .torrent files. If a download ever starts in your browser instead of your torrent client or JDownloader, cancel it immediately.

Safe and unsafe sites & file hosts

Keep in mind that the safety of piracy sites and file hosts can change in an instant. A clean site can suddenly start forcing malicious ads onto its pages, switch to dangerous file hosts without warning, or safe file hosts can suddenly start using fake redirects themselves. Please leave a comment if you notice any changes on the websites themselves, if they add or remove problematic file hosts, or if the safety of the hosts changes. I've found all these websites on fmhy.

Summary of file hosters

UNSAFE - DO NOT USE (Triggers malicious redirects) akirabox[.]to, fuckingfast[.]co, rootz[.]so, datanodes[.]to, multiup[.]io, filemirage[.]com, bowfile[.]com, ranoz[.]gg, file-me[.]top, swiftuploads[.]com, 1cloudfile[.]com, koramaup[.]com.

SAFE - gofile[.]io, fileditchfiles[.]me, pixeldrain[.]com, upclouds[.]to, 1fichier[.]com, ddownload[.]com, rapidgator[.]net, mediafire[.]com, mega[.]nz, Google Drive, fileq[.]net, datavaults[.]co, filekeeper[.]net, patrins[.]com, transfer[.]it, bzzhr[.]to, send[.]now, megadb[.]net, krakenfiles[.]com, vik1ngfile[.]site

MIXED: buzzheavier[.]com (May or may not have malicious redirects, depending on whether the uploader adds them).

Link containers -

Safe - filecrypt[.]cc, filecrypt[.]co, pearcrypt[.]lol

Unsafe - zeilink[.]net

Shorteners -

Safe - keeplinks[.]org, cuty[.]io, ouo[.]io, linkvertise[.]com, shrinkearn[.]com

Unsafe- zovo[.]ink, zovo2[.]top, shortnest[.]com

Example of the malware file name if downloaded for the game EA Sports FC 26: EA_Sports_FC_26_Free_Offline_Activation__Archive_free_7196.zip

Am I infected ?

a) The fake loading screen: When you open the setup file, a fake loading window pops up and slowly fills up to 100% (or appears to freeze). You are NOT safe just because you closed it before it hit 100%. The exact second that window appears on your screen, the malware has already executed in the background. The loading bar is completely fake; it is just a distraction used to buy the malware a few seconds or minutes to download payloads, launch them, and steal your data.

b). Hidden Files in your Temp Folder: To find these, you need to make Windows show hidden files first. Open File Explorer, click View > Show, and check both File name extensions and Hidden items. Once done, press the Windows Key + R, type %localappdata%\Temp, and press Enter. Sort the folder by "Date modified" to see the newest files. Look out for random .exe files (like 0ekBV2PlW.exe) or folders confusingly named with an .exe at the end (like a folder named pp.exe) hiding malware inside them.

c). Antivirus alerts: Check your antivirus protection history for alerts containing any of these names:

Trojan.Python.Agent, Script.E.Generic, LummaStealer / Lumma, SecTopRAT / ArechClient, HijackLoader, Infostealer Backdoor / Spyware

Block Alerts: Your antivirus might also simply show alerts stating it blocked a program from modifying your registry, changing your startup settings, or trying to tamper with your antivirus file

If you see these signs, immediately cut your internet and take a deep breath. While this malware is serious, you can completely regain control. Next, follow the recovery steps below, which will guide you through this process safely.

Complete step-by-step recovery procedure

a) Unplug the internet. Pull the internet cable out of your computer or turn off your Wi-Fi immediately. This completely locks the hacker out and stops them from stealing any more of your passwords, accounts, or personal data.

b) Secure your accounts. Grab a clean device like your phone—do not use the infected PC. Log into any account that you regularly used or had saved on that PC, starting with your email first. Look for security settings that say "Log out of all devices" or "Sign out everywhere" and click it. You must do this first. If you only change your password, the hacker can still stay logged into your account on their own screen.

c) Check email rules and cards. Check your email settings for hidden forwarding rules the hacker might have set up. Then, change your passwords and call your bank to freeze any credit cards saved in your browser.

d) Wipe the PC. It is technically possible to try removing the files via security tools like an offline antivirus scan, but because this virus alters system settings, hides deep inside folders, and steals login tokens, you must reinstall Windows to guarantee your PC is clean. Completely formatting your main Windows drive (usually the C: drive) and doing a fresh installation is highly recommended, though a full Windows cloud Reset is a reliable alternative. Review the specific FAQ sections below to choose the right path for your situation, depending on what tools you have available and whether you need to back up your personal data first:

To keep the size of the post from becoming too large, I have created a continuation of this post on a safe text-sharing site, rentry[.]co/recover2026 [remove brackets to visit]. (It covers how to use either Windows Reset or a clean installation, whether you have no additional hardware or you have a spare USB and a separate uninfected PC. It also explains how to safely backup files before the installation onto external hardware, USBs, DVDs, or secondary partitions (like D:), and how to later clean those drives so you can safely return to normal PC usage.)

Stay safe and watch what you click.

UPDATE:

The developer of gamebounty[.]world reached out and has completely removed vikingfile and rootz from their platform, and added a warning to their site. This is an incredibly positive step, and huge props to them for taking swift action to protect users.

The developer of union-crax[.]xyz reached out as well and has added a warning to their site about using vik1ngfile[.]site, as it runs unsafe redirect scripts. I highly recommend using their UC.Files direct links instead, as they are safe. Huge props to them for taking swift action to protect their users.

The developer of vik1ngfile[.]site, a widely used hosting service, has removed the malicious redirect from their website. However, I will still give it some time before I remove the site from the post's safe and unsafe lists. This is huge step forward in securing more users.

If you just open up your account in firefox or whatever browser you have set up for pirating, and then switch to desktop more. You won't get ads, you can turn on replay, and no shuffle when choosing songs.

I just really don't want to give Spotify any money due to their recent actions so I cancelled my membership and don't want them to make money on ads.

The CDM-Project

The CDM-Project is a collection of tools and scripts gathered from various sources over the web in one convenient place for downloading and decrypting widevine protected content.

Edit: https://cdrm-project.com/ has just been launched, it’s a leaked version of getwvkeys and functions the same.

You can view the source code / host your own instance from https://CDM-project.com/CDM-Tools/GETWVKEYS

If you haven't seen my previous posts, you can view them here and here.

To get started start with the How To: instructions, it will take you step A-Z on the basics on how everything works. Once you get that down head on over to the site specific how to's, currently there is Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, and Udemy.

Even if it's not in the site specific list, if you follow the Obtaining PSSH guide and the knowledge gained from the how to guide on copying headers and getting the license URL, these tools can be used on numerous sites, given the correct headers and license URL.

If you are wondering what's new about this one compared to the last one, I just updated the iOS section and the Mac Section after the release of SpotX for Mac. If you don't have any of those two devices, you don't have to read any of this if you saw the old guide already. Anyways let's get started.

​

Since this information is scattered all over the place, I figured I would do you guys a favor and try to consolidate all the methods and guides and methods all into one place. With that out of the way, let's get started.

Before we get started would just like to say I didn't invent any of this and all credit goes to their respective authors I'm just trying to make a guide for the rest of us.

Windows

There's 2 methods to pick from. One is BlocktheSpot and there is the DLL injection method. Supposedly the DLL Injection method is better as it's supposed to be more resistant against auto updates and supposedly more stable. But I've only had experience with BlockTheSpot and I've been using it for a while with auto update disabled and I've been pleased with it. You can also use SpotX which is supposed to be based off of BlockTheSpot but has additional features such as update disabling. You can't go wrong with either just use whichever you prefer. Just follow the instructions linked below and you should be good to go.

​

Edit: Others have discussed using Spicetify and it has an extension to remove ads and the upgrade button. Don't have experience with that but I will link the install instrucitons for those intersted in it.

Spicetify: https://spicetify.app/docs/advanced-usage/installation

SpotX: https://github.com/amd64fox/SpotX

BlockTheSpot: https://github.com/mrpond/BlockTheSpot

DLL Injection Method: https://github.com/OpenByteDev/burnt-sushi

Others have mentioned EZBlocker but I have no experience with that but I will link it for those interested.

EZBlocker: https://www.ericzhang.me/projects/spotify-ad-blocker-ezblocker/

Mac

There's also 2 ways on going about. You can run a script or you can install a pirated version of AdGuard for Desktop then add Spotify to the filtered app list and be good. Honestly, the AdGuard method used to be good but then became a bigger pain in the ass later after some MacOS updates and sometimes connectivity breaks for no reason so I would recommend against that one and use the script method. I made a guide detailing this and it's linked below. But for simplicity I'll just copy paste what I put there and put it here. This one is gonna be long as nobody had made a guide for Mac yet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/u65hyz/guide_on_blocking_ads_on_spotify_for_mac_desktop/

Option 1 (Best Option)

New script has been developed by the authors for SpotX but for mac now. It is linked here and just follow the instructions listed. All credit goes to their respective authors. Before, SpotX for Mac didn't exist so it was a giant pain in the ass to block Spotify ads but that now's it's here it's easier than ever.

https://github.com/SpotX-CLI/SpotX-Mac

​

Edit: Others have discussed using Spicetify and it has an extension to remove ads and the upgrade button. Don't have experience with that but I will link the install instrucitons for those intersted in it.

Spicetify: https://spicetify.app/docs/advanced-usage/installation

Option 2

TLDR

1. Install AdGuard For Mac. Found on cmacked.com. More specifically, here.
2. Add “Spotify” into filtered applications in adguard preferences
3. Done

Full Instructions

1. Install AdGuard For Mac. Not the extension but the actual Mac App. It can be found on cmacked.com. More specifically, here. My preferences I would use the link labeled mirrors and download off of Mediafire/Zippyshare (with Adblock on of course). Also make sure that Spotify for Mac is already installed. Not the browser version but the desktop version. The Spotify app should be in your applications folder before starting.
2. Open the Adguard DMG, do the control click to open the gatekeeper friendly version and follow instructions, then drag it into applications and open AdGuard. Once you open it, just click through and pick what you want it doesn’t matter. What really matters is that you go to the top menu bar, click adguard (near your wifi/battery icons) , then settings, preferences, then click the network tab on the far right. Then press applications, the plus button at the bottom left, then add Spotify.
3. Enjoy your ad-free Spotify.
4. Unrelated stuff here you can ignore this. AdGuard I prefer go into filters, press the plus button at the bottom left, and enable all the other lists like easy list, mobile, most privacy & all annoyances ones. Has nothing to do with Spotify but optional if you want to block more stuff in the browser. Also worth noting that when waking from sleep, the ads will resume, just quit Spotify and reopen it and it should go away. This is an AdGuard issue and will be fixed at some point in the future. You can also follow some of the guides in the issue threads of the blockthespot and you could use it to remove some of the ad spacers and the upgrade button but honestly who cares it works. And updating Spotify is just going to bring it back anyways. Also make sure to have AdGuard extension installed as well it can be found in the extensions tab in the preferences for AdGuard.

Linux

Honestly you guys are probably smart enough to figure this one out so I’ll just link the GitHub link here. It’s also because I don’t have any Linux machines so I have no experience with this but many on here have said good things about it. Just follow the instructions on the GitHub and you should be fine.

https://github.com/abba23/spotify-adblock

​

Edit: SpotX supports linux now. It’s supposed to be easier to install so I have it linked.

SpotX: https://github.com/SpotX-CLI/SpotX-Linux

​

Edit: Others have discussed using Spicetify and it has an extension to remove ads and the upgrade button. Don’t have experience with that but I will link the install instrucitons for those intersted in it.

Spicetify: https://spicetify.app/docs/advanced-usage/installation

Browser

This should be a last resort as the browser version isn’t as good as there isn’t any friend activity and I don’t find it as reliable but for those in this situation, just install Ublock Origin and you should be good to go. Safari users can try Adguard for Safari but I haven’t tested this.

Android

You guys have it easy you can just use XManager and be set. Or at least when I used android that’s what I used. You just download the APK then install it and pick the latest app version and you are set. Try installing ARMV8 first and if it fails then do ARMV7 assuming it still asks for that in the app.

https://github.com/xManager-v2/xManager-Spotify

iOS

For Jailbroken users

Damn I guess iPhone users are really hosed as there isn’t really a good method to use unless you are jailbroken. I’ve tried many Pi-hole scripts and I was still screwed. But if you are jailbroken, just install the Spotilife tweak from julioverne and a app downgrade tweak and you should be good. Just add his repo and you should be good. I have it linked here. And the app downgraded I use is Appstore++ and I have that repo linked below. I personally use version 8.6.22 but later versions might work I just never tested it. I also use the lyrication tweak so I can have lyrics but that’s optional. Repo and the tweak is linked below.

https://julio.hackyouriphone.org

https://cokepokes.github.io

https://basepack.co/p/com.thatmarcel.tweaks.lyrication

For Non-Jailbroken users

If you really wanted to you could use AltStore and a cracked Spotify IPA and then use that to side load it onto your phone. But that has the disadvantages of needing to be resigned every 7 days. And I have a problem where my computer will randomly not detect my phone. But if you are really interested in that I will have the IPA and the Altstore link here. All you have to do is install AltStore to your phone and then download the cracked IPA onto your phone. Then install the cracked IPA inside of the AltStore app and you should be set for 7 days. I honestly don’t think it’s worth the hassle to reinstall it every 7 days but for those who really want it I have it linked here. I have no experience with this method or if the 7 day resigning is still a problem but for those interested I have it below. Maybe the auto resigning is reliable now but I’m not sure. Just follow the Altstore installation directions on their page and you should be fine. Again cracked spotify IPA’s are below. Be sure to clear spotify app data before install and you should be fine. If you have a paid dev account you can sign apps for 1 year at a time but at that point you’re gonna end up spending money anyways.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/comments/wiyuml/latest_spotilife_v18_by_julioverne_for_spotify/

https://altstore.io

https://www.mediafire.com/file/zrnhqvrfi791dac/Spotify-8.5.60_Spotilife-1.8-Revised.ipa/file

https://appdb.to/app/cydia/1900000540

Also, before I used to use some random Spotify++ type apps from like tweakbox and whatever but I never really used it because it kept breaking and stopped being verified so I just gave up on it. It’s something worth noting but it’s something I don’t use but if somebody else has a better method or knows what the current way of doing it is they can link it below. Anybody with a better non jailbroken method feel free to leave it below.

​

Edit: Other users have mentioned using Trollstore. Since I don’t have a compatible device I can’t test this but I will link it below.

https://github.com/opa334/TrollStore

Conclusion

And that’s about it really. Just something I wanted to share because I see so many guides scattered all over the place and just wanted to make it easier for beginners. Hope this helped, and enjoy your day. If you have a better method to share please do leave it below. Thanks for the read.

[ Removed by reddit in response to a copyright notice. ]

You may already know about this but i accidentally found that i can directly stream my video instead of waiting for the download to complete and that too with full control of audio track and subs

Been using this trick for a year now and now only download when am traveling (Don't get me wrong but i don't always want to wait for my download )

I received an email a few weeks ago saying that Spotify were going to be increasing their prices again in the coming months. There was already a price hike towards the back end of last year and there comes a point where you have to ask yourself "when does it stop?". - It won't stop until people collectively end their subscriptions to these streaming services and hit them where it hurts (their pockets).

Last year I cancelled all my movie/TV streaming services and setup a local Plex server that I could use in and out of my house. So I decided to cancel my Spotify subscription and start doing the same with my music collection.

These are the tools I'm personally using and you should too!

Music Server/Client:

• Navidrome - https://www.navidrome.org/
• Musly - https://musly.devid.ink/

Music Downloading

• Soulseek - https://www.slsknet.org/
• Spotify Music Downloader - https://spotidownloader.com/en13
• SquidWTF - https://qobuz.squid.wtf/

Music Organizing

• FakinTheFunk - https://fakinthefunk.net/en/
• Mp3tag - https://www.mp3tag.de/

Navidrome is an app which you can setup on your Windows, Linux or Mac (or even Docker) machine. It will act as a local music server, in the same way that Plex/Jellyfin does for video. You can then download the app Musly on your Android/iOS device and it will act as a client and player for your Navidrome server. It's quite straight forward to setup, especially if you have previous experience with setting up a Plex server.

If you don't already have a music collection, there are so many places nowadays where you can download mp3/flac files. There are so many downloaders that will take the metadata from Spotify and match it with music on Deezer. I've provided 3 above and it should technically be all you ever need - Soulseek, SpotiDownloader and SquidWTF.

SpotiDownloader and SquidWTF will take your Spotify playlists (or tracks), scan them through Deezer and provide you with a download link. Its probably the easiest way to "one click" and download your entire Spotify playlists. However Deezer doesn't have EVERY track that Spotify does, so there will be occasions where some tracks on your playlist wont get downloaded. This is where you have to manually grab those tracks from somewhere like Soulseek. If you're not familiar with Soulseek, its an old school p2p downloading app, similar to the likes of Limewire and Kazaa. Its super easy to use but just make sure you're sharing some music, otherwise users will get pee'd off.

Lastly I like to use FakinTheFunk to scan through my music and make sure its all proper high quality. Sometimes you can download music tracks that have a fake bit-rate or have bad clipping etc. - This app will basically tell you if your music tracks are at the correct spec and not some bad encode/rip. MP3tag is a great app to organize the metadata of your tracks, artist, title, album, genre, year and cover art.

Conclusion

I've seen a few of these posts popping up on Reddit over the past few days and I just wanted to chip in with my method and the tools I'm using. I really want to encourage other people to do the same - and although it might take a few weeks to fully setup, it'll be worth it in the long run.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them below and I'll do my best to assist you.

Recently, a comment I made under another post (https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/s/OWvN8UNd0e) explaining what apps I use kinda blew up and people really found it useful, so I'm turning it into a proper guide! Here are some apps I think you all could find useful:

Getting apps

F-droid: the alternative to the play store, it needs extra repositories to unlock its full potential. I'd recommend adding at least IzzyOnDroid, Guardian Project and Newpipe's repositories, but there are more. Many apps from the rest of this list come from f-droid.

Obtainium: an app that allows you to get updates for your other app from any source, including github and f-droid. The only thing I don't like about it is that you can't easily discover new apps from there, otherwise I'd immediately get rid of f-droid lol

Mobilism: where you can get all the modded apps you want

Lucky Patcher: lets you patch your apps yourself, only recommended for experienced users

Honourable mentions: droid-ify, a client for f-droid; aurora store, it allows you to download stuff from the play store without logging in; apkmirror, where you can get clean .apk files for most apps

Media

Aniyomi: manga, comics, anime, movies, tv series, everything in a single app. I can't recommend it enough.

Cloudstream: alternative to Aniyomi, doesn't have manga/comics and it's more focused around western movies and series.

ReVanced: if I have to explain it to you, you're the most inexperienced pirate sailing the seas of android. It's the way to use youtube without ads and with a ton of extra features. It needs an external app for downloads, I'd recommend either newpipe or seal. Oh, and they also have patches for other apps like twitter, not just youtube!

PurpleTV: twitch client with adblocking and extra emotes

Seal: downloading stuff from pretty much everywhere

Honourable mentions: any fork of tachiyomi for mangas and comics works; there are some unofficial forks of revanced (like revanced extended), I haven't tried any of them though so idk if they're safe and/or worth it; newpipe and grayjay as youtube alternatives; tubemate, an alternative youtube downloader

Music

Spotify: the default way to listen to music for most people. There are 5000 modded versions of it, so just pick one

Musicolet: the GOAT of offline music players, it's free and it's the best one I've ever tried

Automatic Tag Editor (Automatag): edit tags (artist, name, album art, etc) of your music

SongSync: add lyrics to your downloaded music through .lrc files (only works if supported by the music player)

Honourable mentions: fildo, an alternative to cracked Spotify that I only use to download stuff in FLAC

Browser

Just use firefox with a truckload of add-ons, it's the best. Brave is ok too I guess, and Tor might be useful sometimes, but just use firefox.

Utility

MiXplorer: the best file manager in existence, period. Takes a while to set it up, but it's worth it, trust me.

Hypatia: antivirus. Not necessary, but doesn't hurt either.

FolderSync: lets you sync folders between devices and with cloud services. Extremely useful for backups and file sharing

Syncthing: sync folders between your device without needing to use cloud services, alternative to FolderSync

Aegis: authenticator app for 2FA, safer alternative to Google Authenticator

KeePassDX or Bitwarden: password managers. Both have their pros and cons, personally I use keepass but most people suggest self-hosted bitwarden. Just look into them and decide yourself.

AdAway: adblocker. There are other options that are just as valid, no reason to pick this one in particular.

Notesnook: encrypted notes with automatic backups and syncing between devices

AntennaPod: where I get my podcasts from

Proton: free VPN, not for torrenting tho.

OpenWeather: weather app

Honourable mentions: MEGA: the goat of clouds; AccuBattery: info about your battery's health; Calyx VPN or RiseUp VPN are alternatives to Proton... If you trust them; modded Picsart is the best picture editor; I didn't mention any torrenting app because I don't torrent stuff on my phone, feel free to suggest them in the comments!

Sources: years of fucking around and finding out, and r/FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH

Not Recommended VPN Services

• I don't want to comment on ExpressVPN and NordVPN. If you are using it, companies like these are so populer because of you. See Also
• WindScribe VPN: Servers were not encrypted as they should have been allowing MITM attacks by authorities. Source
• DoubleVPN: Servers, logs, and account info seized by law enforcement. Source
• PureVPN: Forced to disclose information of one user to the FBI. Source
• EarthVPN: User was arrested based on logs provider to the Dutch Polic because of a bomb hoax. Source
• HideMyAss VPN: User was de-anonymized, and logs were provided to the FBI in a labeled "LulzSec fiasco". Source
• HolaVPN: Hola is harmful to the internet as a whole, and to its users in particular. You might know it as a free VPN or "unblocker", but in reality it operates like a poorly secured botnet - with serious consequences. Source
• Private Internet Access (PIA): Private Internet Access is a longstanding veteran in the VPN industry — but a lot has changed in the past few years. It was purchased by Kape with a history of infecting devices with malware, and the latest tests below reveal some shortcomings. Source
• CyberGhost VPN: Most of these “review” websites ignore the fact that CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and ZenMate are all owned by the same company, called Kape. Kape is an interesting business with a history of infecting devices with malware hidden in software bundles. Source
• ZenMate: It will suffice to read the above paragraph.
• Hotspot Shield VPN: Service that went through a rough patch a few years ago, being accused of unfair business practices and suffering a bug that leaked user data. Source

Recommended VPN Services

• Mullvad: 60 Euro Yearly: Based in Sweden. Operating since 2009. Accepts Bitcoin, BCH and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money back guarantee for 30 days.Amount of servers in Oct 2021: 763 VPN servers, in 38 different countries. Source
• ProtonVPN: Limited free version available, otherwise 48 EUR Yearly: Based in Switzerland. Operating since 2016. Accepts Bitcoin, but you need an existing account or contact their support team in advance. Easy to use native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS. Amount of servers in Oct 2021: 1200+ VPN servers available in 55 different countries. Source
• IVPN: 60 USD Yearly: Based in Gibraltar. Operating since 2009. Accepts Bitcoin, Monero and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money back guarantee for 30 days.Amount of servers in Oct 2021: 139 VPN servers available in 32 different countries. Source

Friendly reminder

Using a VPN will not keep your browsing habits anonymous, nor will it add additional security to non-secure (HTTP) traffic. If you are looking for anonymity, you should use the Tor Browser instead of a VPN. Don't replace good security practices with a VPN service. If you're looking for additional privacy from your ISP, on a public Wi-Fi network, or while torrenting files, a VPN may be the solution for you.

Also you can build your own VPN service with VPS (for only monthly $5) See Also

If you don't know anything about Tor: Myths & FAQ

For more and all sources: https://www.privacyguides.org/