Heron Video · Android & web
Patient watching.
Heron replaces YouTube for the people on your Kestrel Cloud. Share your own videos with each other: no ads, no tracking, no autoplay rabbit hole. You choose what’s next.
Version 1.1.0 · Android 8.0 or newer · Free · No ads · Needs a Kestrel account
Features
Video, without the attention machine.
Upload and publish
Upload from your phone or computer. Heron makes a thumbnail, and the video stays in your own Nest Drive.
Public, unlisted or private
Show a video to everyone on your Kestrel Cloud, only to people with the link, or keep it just for you.
Channels, likes, search
Everyone gets a channel. Like, search, sort by newest or most viewed. Full screen on your phone.
Import your own YouTube videos
Paste a link to bring a video you made over from YouTube. Links that look copyrighted are flagged and checked by an admin first.
Reports go to a person
Anyone can report a video. A Kestrel Cloud admin looks at it and can take it down.
Members only
Only people with a Kestrel account on your server can watch. Nothing is public on the internet.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Who can see my videos?
Public videos: everyone with a Kestrel account on the same Kestrel Cloud. Unlisted: only people you give the link to. Private: only you (and the admins, who look after the server). Nobody outside your Kestrel Cloud can see anything.
Can I import videos from YouTube?
Yes, but only ones you have the right to keep, like your own uploads or Creative Commons videos. Heron checks every link first. If it looks like copyrighted material you’ll get a warning, and an admin has to approve it before it’s imported.
Does it count towards my storage?
Yes. Your videos are files in your own Nest Drive (in the Heron folder), so they use your storage. Removing a video from Heron keeps the file.
Can I use it on a computer?
Yes. Sign in to Nest Drive in your browser and open Heron from there.