In October of last year, YouTube launched a significant campaign against ad blockers after initially testing the waters in June. Now, after many months, the crackdown is broadening.
YouTube has made it clear that it will start enforcing its policy against third-party apps that violate YouTube’s Terms of Service by blocking ads. The focus this time is on “ad-blocking apps”, but it is possible that third-party applications with built-in ad blockers could also be targeted.
Apps like AdGuard, which allowed users to watch YouTube without ads within the app, will no longer work. If you attempt to use this method, you will receive an error message stating “The following content is not available on this app”.
YouTube stresses that its terms prohibit third-party apps from disabling 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”.
Unsurprisingly, YouTube recommends subscribing to YouTube Premium if you want to avoid ads.
