YouTube is preventing users with ad blockers from watching videos

It is no secret that YouTube hates ad blockers. The company has come up with various ways to inconvenience users who have ad blockers installed. Now in their latest attempt, it seems that YouTube is not allowing users with these blockers installed from watching videos on its platform.

This is according to a recent post on Reddit by u/SDHD4K. The post shows a clip in which when they click play, the video immediately skips to the end. Based on the comments, they’re not alone. Also, it seems that depending on the blocking software used, users are getting different results. For example, some users are finding their audio is muted while the video plays.

We can’t say we’re surprised these issues are popping up. While YouTube has kind of turned a blind eye towards blockers in the past, they’ve gotten a lot more aggressive about it in the recent years. It is understandable since ads are what helps YouTube generate revenue. It also helps creators where a portion of the ad revenue goes to them.

We imagine that this is going to be a never ending game of cat and mouse. Ad blockers will find a way around these issues, and YouTube will probably close the loophole later on. If you’d rather not have to deal with this at all, then maybe consider a subscription to YouTube Premium if you don’t want to deal with ads at all.