Until recently, YouTube Vanced (later just Vanced) was one of the most popular YouTube alternatives on Android. It offered several YouTube Premium features for free and some innovative features that the native YouTube app liked. However, Vanced developers announced on March 13 that they would be removing all download links for the indie app. We were in the dark about the exact reason why, and several rumors suggested plausible theories. Now the team has provided clarifications.

Android Police reports that Vanced developers took to anonymous blogging platform Telegra.ph to quell rumors and explain why development and app distribution was stopped. The post claims the reason for the takedown doesn’t have anything to do with NFTs, allegations of piracy, “illegal” features, or the developers being Russian.

The Vanced team ceased operations because Google handed it a cease and desist letter for infringing on the logo and branding of the YouTube app. Vanced’s logo resembled the original YouTube logo and was used without prior consent from Google. The letter required the team to remove all distribution links for Vanced apps. So, the project folded.

If you aren’t familiar, Vanced garnered fame in the Android enthusiast community as a popular YouTube alternative. It was regularly updated to match the original YouTube app’s user experience and feature set. It also allowed you to sign in to your Google account and carry your watch history and playlists as you switched from YouTube to Vanced. Vanced offered several features for free that the YouTube app had paywalled, such as video downloads and adblock. Recently, after YouTube removed the dislike count from its website, Vanced offered users an option to show the count again. It also provides advanced options that let you skipping-video intros, silent sections, sponsor segments, and self-promotions.

Vanced team’s blog post added that the source code for the app would never be made publicly available because it could create “serious complications” for the team. Now that the download links are gone, you cannot install Vanced or get updates. The team has clarified that it cannot help obtain the abb through an alternate source. So, there is no hope if you were hoping for the team to reemerge and continue developing Vanced.

Are you sad to see Vanced go? It was excellent while it lasted, but creators didn’t earn a penny since you weren’t served ads and skipped their sponsored segments.