We’ve all been there—clicking on a video based on its title and thumbnail, only to be disappointed because it falls far short of our expectations. While some titles are blatant lies, most of them are just exaggerated or sensationalized to generate interest and clicks. This open-source browser extension wants to fix YouTube videos’ clickbait problem.
Meet DeArrow
DeArrow is a community-driven project that aims to combat the rise of clickbait on YouTube. Developed by Ajay Ramachandran, DeArrow works by replacing exaggerated titles and over-the-top thumbnails with more straightforward, relevant ones submitted and voted on by its user base.
For example, here’s the YouTube page before installing the extension
And here’s the YouTube page after installing it.
You can also submit a better straightforward title when you find a clickbait one, or you can vote among the submitted titles and thumbnails directly on the YouTube website.
Where is DeArrow Available?
This extension is available for almost all popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, and Brave.
Additionally, the service is integrated into many third-party applications. For instance, on Android, you can try the LibreTube app with DeArrow built in. There’s also the SmartTube app for Android TV, Tizen Tube for Samsung TVs, and Free Tube or QT Tube for desktops. Moreover, there is also a DeArrow Discord bot. Installing and enabling the extension or app is straightforward, just like other YouTube browser extensions.
How Does DeArrow Work?
As mentioned, the extension relies on crowdsourcing to gather better titles and thumbnails. When users submits a better title and thumbnail, the extension automatically replaces the original with it. If there are no submissions for a specific video, DeArrow offers fallback options: it can format the original title according to user preferences, such as changing the case or removing emojis. For thumbnails, it selects a random screenshot from the video or displays YouTube’s default thumbnail.
What makes DeArrow impressive is its customization options. If you don’t prefer the fallback option, you can set it to show the default title and thumbnail. Additionally, the extension provides a simple option to disable or enable it, allowing you to switch back to the original titles and thumbnails anytime with a few clicks.
