YouTube Skip Helper

How Panda presses YouTube's own "Skip ad" button for people who find it hard to reach.

YouTube Skip Helper is a feature of Panda (package com.blurr.voice), an Android accessibility app from Steepwind Labs. Panda is declared to Google Play as an accessibility tool.

What it does

Some YouTube ads can be skipped after a few seconds. When that happens, YouTube shows its own "Skip ad" button. When YouTube shows that button, Panda taps it for you using the Android Accessibility Service. That is the same single tap you could make yourself. Panda does not do anything that YouTube does not already offer you.

Who it is for

The skip button is small, sits in the corner of the video, and only stays on screen for a limited time. That makes it hard to use for many people, including people who:

• have motor impairments, tremor, or limited dexterity
• use switch access or voice access to control their phone
• have low vision and struggle to find and hit the button in time

Panda users with disabilities asked us for this feature. It gives them the same choice every other viewer already has: to skip an ad once YouTube allows it.

What it does not do

• It does not block, hide, mute, or remove ads.
• It does not skip ads that YouTube marks as non-skippable.
• It never taps before YouTube offers the skip button. The ad plays for as long as YouTube requires.
• It does not change the YouTube app or its network traffic.
• It does not collect, store, or send your screen content or viewing data off your phone. The check runs entirely on your device.

You stay in control

YouTube Skip Helper is on by default for Panda users. After Panda skips an ad, a small notice appears at the bottom of the screen that says "YouTube ad skipped by Panda". It has three options:

• Keep: leave the feature on.
• Disable: turn the feature off straight away.
• Know more: open this page.

You can also turn off Panda's accessibility service at any time in Android Settings → Accessibility.

Questions

Is this an ad blocker?

No. Every ad still plays. Panda only presses the skip button that YouTube itself shows, and only after YouTube shows it. Ads that cannot be skipped are never skipped.

Does Panda see what I watch?

The check for the skip button runs only on your phone. No screen content or viewing data from this feature leaves your device.

How do I turn it off?

Tap Disable on the "YouTube ad skipped by Panda" notice. Or turn off Panda's accessibility service in Android Settings → Accessibility.

Contact

Questions or feedback: support@heypanda.org. Full privacy policy: https://www.steepwind.com/privacy-policy.