Google is making it harder to block ads on YouTube
Anyone using a third-party app to block ads on YouTube is likely to find that their viewing is interrupted. Google has announced that it is further clamping down on ad-blocking tools which are seen by many people as a handy way to avoid paying for YouTube Premium.
The company says that by blocking ads with apps that violate its terms of service, users are starving creators of an income stream and, of course, failing to line Google's pockets.
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The battle between Google and ad-blockers has been a game of cat and mouse, and this is by no means the first time the company has announced a crackdown on apps, tools and browser extensions that block, skip or speed up ads.
An announcement in the YouTube Community reads: "We're strengthening our enforcement on third-party apps that violate YouTube's Terms of Service, specifically ad-blocking apps".
It goes on to say:
Viewers who are using these third-party apps may experience buffering issues or see the error "The following content is not available on this app" when trying to watch a video. We want to emphasize that our terms don't allow third-party apps to turn off ads because that prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership, and Ads on YouTube help support creators and let billions of people around the world use the streaming service. We also understand that some people prefer an entirely ad-free experience, which is why we offer YouTube Premium.
The message wraps up by making a quick clarification:
We only allow third-party apps to use our API when they follow our API Services Terms of Service, and when we find an app that violates these terms, we will take appropriate action to protect our platform, creators, and viewers.
Google has not mentioned any specific apps by name, but there are likely to be a lot of very frustrated YouTube users complaining over the weeks to come. The company says that YouTube Premium is the official way to avoid ads, but for many people this is simply too expensive. Unfortunately, Google shows no signs of reducing the price.
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