Seal
by junkfood · GPL-3.0-only · open source
A friendly Android front end for yt-dlp: share or paste a link from a supported site, pick video or audio, and Seal handles the download, whole playlists included.
Needs:No root · 64-bit phone · Android 5.0+
2113 Apps is independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by junkfood. Official sources: source code on GitHub.
- Version
- 1.13.1-(F-Droid)
- Size
- 43.1 MB
- Requires
- Android 5.0+
- Updated
- 2026-01-06
Screenshots
Introduction
Seal puts a graphical interface on yt-dlp, the widely used command-line downloader. Instead of typing commands, you share or paste a link, choose video or audio, and Seal does the rest. It works with the long list of sites yt-dlp supports.
What it does
From the project’s README:
- Downloads video or audio from sites yt-dlp supports.
- Writes metadata and the thumbnail into the audio files it extracts.
- Downloads whole playlists in one go.
- Can use the bundled aria2c as an external downloader.
- Embeds subtitles into downloaded videos.
- Runs custom yt-dlp commands from templates you save, for people who know yt-dlp’s options.
Keeping yt-dlp up to date
Websites change often, and a downloader needs current site support to keep working. Seal updates its yt-dlp engine separately from the app itself. In this F-Droid build the automatic yt-dlp update is off by default, because F-Droid switches it off, so use the Update yt-dlp option in the settings when downloads start failing. Those updates come from GitHub, which is why F-Droid flags the app NonFreeNet.
Download responsibly
Seal is a general-purpose tool. Many sites’ terms restrict downloading, and copyright applies to what you save, so download only content you have the right to keep.
Good to know
- Development has slowed. The latest stable release, 1.13.1, came out on GitHub in October 2024, and F-Droid published it in January 2026. Newer 2.0 versions exist only as alpha pre-releases, and the code hasn’t changed since April 2025. The separate yt-dlp updates matter more for whether downloads keep working.
- Most of the 43.1 MB file is bundled tools: Python and FFmpeg for yt-dlp, plus aria2c. This F-Droid build is for 64-bit ARM phones.
- Seal’s own update checker is disabled in F-Droid builds; updates come through F-Droid. The file is signed by F-Droid, so it won’t install over a copy from GitHub, or the other way round, without uninstalling first.
- The README reserves the name: forks and unofficial builds may not call themselves Seal. Other apps on Google Play with Seal in their name aren’t this project.
What’s inside the APK
Trackers
No code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures.
Native code
Needs a 64-bit ARM phone; 32-bit-only devices are not supported.
Android versions
Built for Android 14 (target API 34).
Permissions
2 of them need your approval first.
Flagged by F-Droid:
- NonFreeNet: Relies on or promotes a proprietary network service.
CPU types in this build: arm64-v8a (64-bit ARM, almost every phone since 2017).
Asks you first (2)
Android shows a prompt before the app can use these.
- Show notifications (Android 13+) · POST_NOTIFICATIONS
- Write shared storage (Android 10 and older) · WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
You switch these on in Settings (2)
Special app access. Nothing is granted until you turn it on yourself.
- All files access · MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
- Install unknown apps · REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES
Granted at install (5)
Low-risk permissions Android grants automatically, plus any we have not classified.
- ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE
- INTERNET
- REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS
Defined by other apps (1)
Permissions that belong to another app or to this app itself.
- com.junkfood.seal.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
More Information
- Package name
- com.junkfood.seal
- Version
- 1.13.1-(F-Droid) (build 11312)
- File size
- 43.1 MB (43,057,559 bytes)
- Requires
- Android 5.0 or later
- Category
- Media
- License
- GPL-3.0-only
- Developer
- junkfood
- Source code
- github.com/JunkFood02/Seal
- Released
- Jan 6, 2026
- Signed by
- F-Droid, which built this APK from the published source code. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub (or the other way round) without uninstalling first.
- Signer SHA-256
- 7de6aeb93f196e677b087bc8d040fe598b613a9654990d6fcaa40d71eb13cd49
- File SHA-256
- 7070a3d4f079046912b4b8dde4edc8d1ef6eade3c9c98b02bfcaba3669c11d98
- Checked
- , against the F-Droid index · how we check · verify it yourself
Common questions
Is this APK the official Seal release?
It is F-Droid’s build rather than the developer’s own: F-Droid compiled Seal 1.13.1-(F-Droid) from the published source code and signed it with its own key. Its SHA-256 matches F-Droid’s signed index. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub without uninstalling first.
What Android version does Seal need?
Android 5.0 or later (API level 21). Version 1.13.1-(F-Droid) is built for Android 14 (target API 34). Needs a 64-bit ARM phone; 32-bit-only devices are not supported.
Can Seal access the internet?
Yes. The APK requests Android’s internet permission. In total it declares 10 permissions, and 2 of them need your approval first.
Does Seal contain trackers?
No known trackers: our scan of version 1.13.1-(F-Droid) found no code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures. The scan covers known tracker libraries; it doesn’t show what data the app itself sends.
Is Seal open source?
Yes. Seal is released under the GPL-3.0-only licence, and its source code is published at https://github.com/JunkFood02/Seal.
Recent releases
| Version | Released | Size | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| v1.13.1-(F-Droid) · this download | Jan 6, 2026 | 43.1 MB | Android 5.0+ |
| v1.13.0-(F-Droid) | Aug 21, 2024 | 41.4 MB | Android 5.0+ |
| v1.12.1-(F-Droid) | Apr 20, 2024 | 38.9 MB | Android 5.0+ |
Versions currently kept in the F-Droid repository. We host and check only the newest one. Full changelog.
