Edgar Cervantes/Android Authority
long story short
- YouTube is enforcing its terms of service to prevent third-party apps from blocking ads.
- Users of mobile ad blocking apps may see error messages or experience buffering issues.
- YouTube previously implemented similar restrictions on desktop ad blockers.
YouTube Premium, an ad-free subscription service that bundles access to videos and music, has been around for several years. Although YouTube recently hit 100 million subscribers, it continues to struggle with the widespread use of ad-blocking technology in hopes of attracting more premium subscribers.
Last year, YouTube began aggressively targeting ad blockers on desktop platforms. In its latest update, YouTube has announced a crackdown on mobile ad blockers. “We only allow third-party applications to use our API if they comply with our API service terms of service,” the official blog post states. “When we identify apps that violate these Terms, we will take appropriate action to protect our platform, creators and audiences.”
Users trying to watch videos through third-party apps designed to circumvent YouTube ads may now encounter errors such as excessive buffering or the message “The following content is not available from this app.”
YouTube explains, “Our terms don’t allow third-party apps to turn off ads because this would prevent creators from being rewarded for viewership, and ads on YouTube help support creators and reach billions of people around the world. YouTube streaming service.”
As cross-device ad blockers become more restrictive, YouTube is sending a clear message: YouTube Premium is the only way to watch ad-free YouTube videos.