--- title: "YouTube’s Crackdown on Ad Blockers Is Making It Miserable to Use" description: "Some YouTube users who use certain ad blockers are experiencing video errors. As it turns out, those ad blockers themselves may be the issue." date: "2024-05-30" modified: "2024-05-30" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/youtube-ad-blocking" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "Google" - "platforms" - "YouTube" --- # YouTube’s Crackdown on Ad Blockers Is Making It Miserable to Use ![Some YouTube users who use certain ad blockers are experiencing video errors. As it turns out, those ad blockers themselves may be the issue.]() *\Image: Noam Galai / Getty Images for YouTube\* YouTube recently doubled down on its neverending campaign against ad-blocking services. But for ad blocker users who have lately experienced annoying glitches on the video-sharing platform, YouTube may not be the party to blame. In [an April announcement](), YouTube vowed to strengthen its anti-adblocker "enforcement," arguing that they violate the platform's Terms of Service and ultimately hinder creators. At the same time, the company has been [greedily hiking up the prices]() of its Premium tier subscription service, charging as much as $14 a month for an ad-free experience — a considerable price many users have balked at. Lately, it seems that YouTube is making good on *some* of its warnings, escalating its battle with its own loyal user base. According to folks on [the r/YouTube subreddit](), many ad-blocking YouTube users have recently seen a "not available" error code crop up on their browsers. While that error code is definitely the result of YouTube's crackdown efforts, other video-related issues — think: missing audio, random timestamp skipping, or, as YouTube specifically warned, buffering problems — may be caused by third-party ad blockers, and YouTube maintains *those* particular problems aren't its fault. The company [told *9to5 Google*]() some ad blockers may not be compatible with recent platform updates. "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," YouTube told *9to5 Google*. "An unrelated push to improve YouTube's performance and reliability may be resulting in suboptimal viewing experiences for ad blocker users." To be clear, Google *has* used tactics like [slow-loading webpages]() to deter ad-block users in the past. But there's some recent history to support YouTube's latest white flag. Earlier this year, the company was widely blamed for [similar adblock-related hitches](). But [as *Ars Technica* reported at the time](), the consensus was ultimately that the issue was actually a bug in AdBlock Plus, one of the internet's most-used ad-blocking services. Other blockers, like uBlock Origin, were working just fine. And [according to *AndroidCentral*](), the same thing appears to be true this time around as well. Brave, an ad-blocking web browser, wrote in an [X-formerly-Twitter post]() this week that it hasn't seen any issues. The same [seems to go for uBlock users](). In any case, YouTube's ad block war with its own users wages on — and rest assured, no matter the glitches or the error codes, some ad-hating netizens aren't backing down. "At this point," said one r/YouTube commenter, "I'm just using my adblock out of spite." **More on the internet:** [*We Regret to Inform You That The Spinning "Loading" Icon Is Actually Called a "Throbber"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()