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SmartTube is a community-driven project that welcomes contributions from everyone. Whether you’re a developer, translator, or enthusiastic user, there are many ways to help!

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Ways to Contribute

Translations

Help translate SmartTube into your language using the online translation tool

Bug Reports

Report issues you encounter to help improve stability and features

Testing

Test beta releases and provide feedback on new features

Code Contributions

Submit pull requests with bug fixes or new features

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Translating SmartTube

Help make SmartTube accessible to users worldwide by contributing translations.

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Translation Tool

Use the online Android strings.xml translator: Android Strings.xml Translator
1

Load the English strings file

Get the current English strings.xml from the SmartTube repository
2

Select your language

Choose the language you want to translate to
3

Translate the strings

Translate each string, maintaining placeholders like %s and %d
4

Submit your translation

Send the translated file via GitHub Issues or email to [email protected]
Some translations visible on GitHub contributors were submitted directly to the developer. Your contribution will be credited!

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Reporting Bugs and Issues

Good bug reports help improve SmartTube for everyone.

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Before Reporting

  1. Check the FAQ - your issue might already be documented
  2. Search existing issues on GitHub
  3. Try to reproduce the issue consistently
  4. Update to the latest version to see if it’s already fixed

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Writing a Good Bug Report

Include the following information: 
**Device Information:**
- Device model: (e.g., Fire TV Stick 4K, NVIDIA Shield)
- Android version: (e.g., Android 9.0)
- SmartTube version: (e.g., 30.98)
- Build flavor: (beta/stable/fdroid)

**Issue Description:**
- Clear description of the problem
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected behavior
- Actual behavior

**Additional Context:**
- Screenshots or screen recordings
- Error messages or logs
- When the issue started occurring
For crashes or “unknown codec” errors, include the exact error message if possible.

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Testing Beta Releases

Help test new features before they reach stable release.

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How to Help Test

  • Install the beta version using kutt.it/stn_beta
  • Test new features mentioned in changelogs
  • Report any issues on GitHub or Telegram
  • Provide feedback on user experience
Beta releases get new features and bug fixes faster than stable. The built-in updater will notify you of new versions with a changelog.

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Code Contributions

Developers can contribute code improvements and new features.

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Getting Started

1

Fork the repository

Fork yuliskov/SmartTube on GitHub
2

Set up development environment

See the Building from Source guide for setup instructions
3

Create a feature branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
4

Make your changes

Write clean, well-documented code following existing patterns
5

Test thoroughly

Test on multiple devices if possible, especially changes to video playback
6

Submit a pull request

Submit your PR with a clear description of changes and why they’re needed

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Code Guidelines

  • Follow existing code style and patterns
  • Comment complex logic or workarounds
  • Test on Android TV devices, not just emulators
  • Keep changes focused - one feature or fix per PR
  • Update documentation if needed
SmartTube is primarily developed by Yurii Lyskov as a hobby project. Be patient with review times, and understand that not all contributions may be accepted.

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Areas That Need Help

From the developer:

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UI/UX Improvements

“Stock YouTube and YT Kids are far ahead [in UI]. We’d need someone who’s skilled and willing to dedicate enough time and energy into making it. And into maintaining it longterm (incl. new features, bug fixes). All of this for free.”
If you have UI/UX skills for Android TV apps, your help would be invaluable.

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Search Page Enhancement

“It can be improved, but it takes someone to do it… Maybe a future SmartTube update can add an embedded keyboard, similar to the original YouTube or other major Android TV apps.”
Improving the search experience would benefit all users.

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Recognition

Contributors are recognized through:
  • GitHub contributors page: View contributors
  • Credits in the app: Translation and code contributors
  • Community appreciation: The gratitude of thousands of SmartTube users!

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Contact

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