Hi everyone,

I'd like to share YTMusicWP — a completely free, ad-free, open-source native YouTube Music client I built from scratch for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile.

The project is heavily optimized for legacy devices with as little as 512MB RAM (Lumia 520, 530, 630), while running smoothly on high-end hardware like the Lumia 930, 1520, and 950/950XL.

I just released v2.4.0, bringing a major set of features:

Core Features:

• Background Audio & Native Controls: Full background playback, lock screen media controls, hardware volume button integration, and iconic Metro Live Tiles (Now Playing flip tile).
• Pin to Start Screen: Pin your favorite artists, albums, and playlists directly to your Start screen as live tiles.
• Ad-free & Direct Streaming: Fast, high-quality audio streaming with a multi-client fallback engine.
• Smart Downloads & Offline Playback: Save songs directly as .m4a with embedded artwork, artist, and title tags.
• Apple Music & Spotify UI: Switch between classic dark aesthetic and modern Apple Music style with hardware-accelerated blurred backdrop (via Lumia Imaging SDK) and spring elasticity animations.
• SponsorBlock Integration: Automatically skips sponsored segments, intros, music video interludes, and outros.
• Google Account Support: Sign in easily via QR code device scan or cookie authentication; supports switching between multiple accounts and brand channels.

What's New in v2.4.0:

• Low-Latency YouTube Live Streaming (SABR Protocol): Stream startup reduced from ~12s down to ~2s with seamless continuous playback.
• Listen Together: Host or join shared listening rooms with real-time synchronized playback, queue, and guest seek. Cross-platform compatible with Metrolist and SimpMusic on Android.
• Word-by-Word Synced Lyrics: Karaoke-style real-time scrolling lyrics with KuGou fallback, duet singer separation, and background vocal lines.
• Samples Tab: Vertical short-form music video feed pulled from home recommendations and regional charts.
• Apple Music Animated Artwork: Motion cover videos rendered on the Now Playing screen.
• Listening Stats & Last.fm: Detailed statistics (listening time, top songs/artists, listening clock) and background Last.fm scrobbling.
• Return YouTube Dislike: View like, dislike, and view counts directly in the Now Playing menu.
• Built-in DNS over HTTPS: Embedded DoH (Cloudflare / Google) to bypass ISP throttling and circumvent enforced YouTube Restricted Mode.

Supported Devices:

• 512MB Low-End: Lumia 520, 530, 620, 625, 630, 635, 720 (Ultra-smooth)
• 1GB+ Flagships: Lumia 525, 730, 830, 920, 925, 930, 1020, 1520, Icon
• Windows 10 Mobile: Lumia 550, 640/640 XL, 650, 950/950 XL, HP Elite x3

Downloads & Links:

• Project Web / Documentation: https://yasukoisreal.github.io/YTMusicWP/
• GitHub Releases: https://github.com/Yasukoisreal/YTMusicWP/releases/tag/v2.4.0
• Live Store (Recommended): https://store.live.net.co/app/447
• WinArchive: https://winarchive.org/store/app/?id=1992
• Source Code & Issues: https://github.com/Yasukoisreal/YTMusicWP

Installation Notes:

1. The easiest method is installing directly on your phone through the Live Store.
2. For manual sideloading: install the included root certificate (.cer) on your phone before installing the .appx.
3. If your device reports missing runtime libraries, install the included Microsoft.VCLibs package.

Feedback, questions, and bug reports are very welcome!