YouTube videos skip to the end with ad blockers on: Report

YouTube reportedly automatically rewinds videos to the end for users using ad blockers.

Viewers using ad blockers, as reported 9to5Google and complaints on Reddit, experience videos that skip to the end or get stuck in an endless buffering loop, with playback attempts often showing the video only momentarily.

Now, Google's last step is to skip videos to the end if an ad blocker is detected. Reddit user SDHD4K posted a video showing a YouTube clip ending immediately due to an ad blocker on his phone.

Some users report that videos play without audio until the ad blocker is removed, and that the sound returns briefly when adjusting the volume slider before muting again.

When the ad blocker is removed, YouTube videos play normally. This behavior is mostly reported by users with AdBlock installed, although some without ad blockers have also encountered it.

Some believe that YouTube is deliberately limiting the use of the ad blocker, while others think that it may be an ad blocker application problem.

YouTube vs ad blockers

Last October, YouTube claimed that using ad blockers violates its terms of service and prevents creators from earning revenue. In January, Google reduced the loading time of YouTube videos unless the ad blocker was removed.

Notably, in April 2024, it stepped up its measures against third-party apps equipped with blocking technology, issuing warnings about possible buffering or error messages and threatening to withdraw API access.

However, YouTube is committed to fighting ad blockers, with its YouTube Premium service, which has more than 100 million users, reinforcing its dedication to protecting its platform, creators and audiences, and promising consequences for violators of policies

Source | road