YouTube has been accused of punishing ad block users further by cutting audio from videos as well as skipping to the end of content when watching with ad blockers enabled.
The battle between YouTube and ad block users continues to intensify, with many now claiming that the platform is deliberately messing with their videos and ability to watch content to further stamp out ad blocking.
Some took to Reddit to share how, when trying to watch YouTube videos with an ad blocker enabled, the content they wanted to watch was either playing with no audio or in other cases, being frozen in place permanently.
These same YouTube users also noted that their issues disappeared when they disabled their ad blockers. One user on Reddit claimed that YouTube was “muting [their] audio” but added that when they “disabled ad block then it works fine.”
Others also reported instances in which YouTube automatically cut to the end of the video they were trying to watch, one user again noting that the problem disappeared when they disabled their ad blocker.
For quite some time now, YouTube has been implementing restrictions and rules as a way to crack down on those using browser plugins to bypass ads on videos. Working around these blockers, many content creators have since began taking their own ad deals and presenting ads directly in the middle of videos as well.
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The crackdown from YouTube aims to further incentivize users to pay for YouTube Premium, a service offered by the platform that offers users ad-free viewing across all platforms, as well as providing access to its Spotify-like streaming service, YouTube Music.
On April 15, 2024, Dexerto reported how YouTube was beginning to further heighten punishments for users utilizing third-party apps that let you view YouTube without ads.
An offical YouTube Spokesperson reached out to Dexerto to provide the following statement in response to these allegations.
“Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service, and we’ve been urging users for some time to support their favorite creators and allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience. An unrelated push to improve YouTube’s performance and reliability may be resulting in suboptimal viewing experiences for ad blocker users.”
