YouTube’s Anti-Ad Blocker Update: A Tale of Two Browsers
YouTube’s ongoing battle with ad blockers has once again sparked confusion and frustration among users. Earlier today, thousands of reports flooded in, claiming that YouTube was down. But here’s the twist: it wasn’t YouTube that was down, it was the ad blockers.
The issue stems from YouTube’s recent update, which aims to combat ad blockers more aggressively. This update has caused compatibility issues for some popular ad blockers, leaving users with a choice: disable their ad blockers or face a broken YouTube experience.
The affected browsers include Opera GX, which has a built-in ad blocker, and Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge. Users on these browsers, especially those signed into their YouTube accounts, are experiencing problems with YouTube’s new anti-ad blocker measures.
However, there’s a silver lining. Firefox users who aren’t signed into their accounts can still use YouTube with their ad blockers enabled. And surprisingly, uBlock Origin, a widely-used ad blocker, seems to be working just fine.
This update comes on the heels of YouTube’s recent changes to mobile ads, removing the close-out button from side panel ads. This change has made it impossible to dismiss side panel ads while viewing horizontal ads on mobile devices.
So, if you’re an ad blocker user and encountering issues with YouTube, it might be time to consider a temporary disable or switching to a browser that’s not affected. As always, YouTube’s goal is to provide a seamless viewing experience, and they’re taking steps to ensure that ad blockers don’t interfere with that.
Have you been affected by this update? Feel free to share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below. Remember, the Android Authority community thrives on open discussions and diverse perspectives.