I don't know what 15-year-old needs to hear this, but if you want to get into piracy, you need to use a computer. All those QR codes that you're supposed to scan with your phone to get free stuff? That's nothin' but malware; you'll end up with a broken phone more often than anything useful.
A computer is better than a phone for piracy by orders of magnitude. Oh, sure, there's a certain amount you can do with NewPipe, but after a while, you're going to start wanting to torrent things and copy DVDs. You can't use a phone to do any of that. Plus, assuming for the sake of argument that the QR code you're scanning is genuine and it will actually lead you to a pirated copy of Skyrim or something, what good is it going to do on your phone? Like, it's a computer program to begin with; you can't install it on your phone, you can't use it with your phone, you would need to put it on a computer anyway. Just cut out the middleman and use your computer.
You might not have a computer. That's okay. You can get a refurbished Windows 10 desktop for under $200 US, and then install RAM, a video card, and Linux Mint yourself. And then, you need Mullvad VPN. Mullvad is infamous amongst the world's spy agencies for not keeping any customer records, so your browsing history is safe. It costs €5 per month to use, but you need it if you're going to pirate anything.
Anyway, I'm not going to get too much into the whithertos and whyfors of becoming a software pirate, nor am I going to tell you where you can go to get started. This is something you need to find out on your own. That weird quiet kid at your school who has their own website, they probably know something about piracy, so maybe ask them.
--29 February 2024--