YouTube ramps up efforts to block you from blocking ads

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It's YouTube Premium or ads all day. You choose.

The YouTube app listing on the Google Play Store, running on a Google Pixel 8 Pro
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Google has started to block streaming to users who use ad blockers and don't subscribe to YouTube Premium.
  • The company says subscribing to YouTube Premium is the only legal way to get rid of all those annoying ads.
  • The company is now rolling out this policy globally after testing it back in June.

If you're a YouTube user who uses an ad blocker to get rid of those pesky ads, you might soon find yourself losing access to YouTube's service until you disable the blocker.

Google began ramping up its efforts to crack down on ad blockers back in June, and the company is now rolling out this policy globally, as YouTube communications manager Christopher Lawton told The Verge. This policy extends to all the ways you can watch YouTube, from the best Android phones to smart TVs with YouTube built-in.

While one Verge staffer was able to continue watching a video after dismissing the prompt, it looks like the intention is to fully block access to YouTube as long as an ad blocker is being used.

The only official way around this is to subscribe to YouTube Premium, which costs around $14 per month and includes full access to the YouTube Music streaming service, as well. YouTube Premium completely removes ads from the YouTube platform and delivers a small stipend to video creators instead of ad revenue. In most cases, this stipend is more money than they would have made if you watched an ad instead.

Google contends that ads are a vital part of the YouTube ecosystem and wants to ensure that the ecosystem continues to remain healthy for users who don't subscribe to the ad-free model.

Unfortunately, the move follows recent price hikes for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music in the U.S., which potentially drove some subscribers away from the platform. It's unclear if these ad-blocker-blocking tactics will fare any better toward getting more users to hop onto the YouTube Premium subscription, but unfortunately, YouTube is far from the only streaming service raising prices.

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Nicholas Sutrich
Nicholas Sutrich
Senior Content Producer — Smartphones & VR
Nick started with DOS and NES and uses those fond memories of floppy disks and cartridges to fuel his opinions on modern tech. Whether it's VR, smart home gadgets, or something else that beeps and boops, he's been writing about it since 2011. Reach him on Twitter or Instagram @Gwanatu
3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joeldf
    Is Google actually saying this? From the article...
    The company says subscribing to YouTube Premium is the only legal way to get rid of all those annoying ads.

    Sorry, but that's a bunch of bull. There is no enforceable "law", or legally binding statute that says I can't use ad blockers in my browser.

    "Allowable", maybe. But "legal"? No.

    Maybe it was just hyperbole.
    Reply
  • mustang7757
    joeldf said:
    Is Google actually saying this? From the article...


    Sorry, but that's a bunch of bull. There is no enforceable "law", or legally binding statute that says I can't use ad blockers in my browser.

    "Allowable", maybe. But "legal"? No.

    Maybe it was just hyperbole.
    Want you to spend money lol it's always about revenue
    Reply
  • 0x49D1
    Actually for now two known solutions work: uBlock Origin and Brave browser. I think youtube ads are too annoying to watch it in free version. And 14$ is too expensive for another service. I don't think there is law to not use adblock in your browser... We always can call it script blocker. Or content sanitizer. Google is anyway doing good amount on me with other products. Youtube is just a platform for creators that gained traction and becomes more and more closed with monopolistic practices.
    Reply