Google could be planning something for those using adblockers.
A spokesperson for the search giant was recently found to be preventing people from watching YouTube videos with adblockers that let them automatically skip ads without paying for YouTube Premium.
It is unknown if Google will ultimately put a more permanent block on YouTube for people using adblockers.
Google Brands YouTube logo displayed on a phone screen and Google logo displayed on a screen in the background are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on May 26, 2022. (Photo Illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
YouTube Ad Detector Details
Adblock detectors have been a thing for many websites. If one has theirs enabled, it would first ask you to disable your AdBlock before you can continue to their website.
Their reason to ask you to disable AdBlock is that they support themselves with ads to keep their site - and company - up and running. However, they have the option to continue to their site without disabling Adblock, albeit with a small quip saying that you'll do so without supporting them.
Google, on the other hand, doesn't have such an option with its recent move. According to a Reddit post on the r/youtube subreddit, YouTube, Google's video-sharing platform, blocked a user from proceeding to the website without disabling their Adblock first.
The popup message reads that YouTube detected them using an ad blocker and that proceeding with it enabled is "not allowed." Additionally, disabling it will help YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide.
It also invites them to subscribe to YouTube Premium, its subscription service that removes ads and offers other features to YouTube users, to continue.
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Unfortunately, the popup doesn't offer the user to proceed without disabling their adblock, which gives them only two options: leave YouTube or pay for YouTube Premium to get ad-free videos.
When asked about this popup message, a Google spokesperson stated that the company is running a "small experiment" regarding adblock detectors, per IGN.
"We're running a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium," The spokesperson said.
A YouTube employee also confirmed to a moderator on the r/youtube subreddit that the popup message is only an "experiment" that the team is currently working on.
It is currently unknown if YouTube is posting this pop-up message globally or in some countries only. However, this development comes after YouTube Music and Premium surpassed 80 million subscribers in Nov. 2022, per Bleeping Computer.
Forcing people to subscribe to YouTube Premium does help maintain the positive growth rate, but probably at the cost of users' goodwill.
YouTube Ad Intrusiveness
Ads on YouTube have recently become less acceptable. We at iTechPost recently saw ads of 10 seconds or more being displayed before a video less than 7 seconds long. Some "skip ad" buttons just skip the ad being played and continue with the second ad on the list, preventing us from returning to the video we were watching quickly.
IGN also noticed this, with YouTube doing an experiment that forced users to watch a long chain of short and unskippable ads.
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