YouTube users are experiencing problems with videos ending immediately when using ad blockers, but YouTube denies that this is a crackdown

Around May 28, 2024, Adblock Plus users began reporting issues with videos ending suddenly and not being able to be viewed properly. Since not all ad blockers are experiencing similar issues, some believe this is simply a problem with YouTube or the ad blocker, and YouTube has issued a statement saying that the problem may be due to changes unrelated to ad blocker measures.

YouTube videos skipping to the end for adblocker users

YouTube videos are acting peculiar for users with adblockers. They're skipping right to the end, even on replays. This strange behavior vanishes when the adblocker is turned off, and everything functions normally. pic.twitter.com/GUwrJJ268f

— Pavan ⛩️ (@pavan99912) May 27, 2024

The person filming the video will first click the seek bar to play the video from the middle.

However, the end screen was displayed without the video playing, and even if I refreshed and reloaded the screen, the opening video played for about a second and then the video ended in the same way.

Next, disable the Adblock Plus extension.

Then the video played normally.

There are also reports on Reddit that when using an ad blocker, the browser mutes and immediately reverts to muted mode when the volume slider is operated. The problem with Adblock Plus occurs in both Chrome and Firefox, and users of browsers with built-in ad blocking features such as OperaGX have also reported problems.

Starting in mid-2023, YouTube will be taking measures to prevent users from watching videos unless they turn off their ad blocker, meaning that if you display a warning three times or watch the video three times while using an ad blocker, the video will no longer play.

In addition, in November 2023, measures will be taken to intentionally delay loading on browsers with ad blockers installed, and from April 2024, third-party apps with built-in ad blocking functionality will also be prohibited.

YouTube tightens restrictions on 'ad blockers' and bans third-party apps - GIGAZINE

As YouTube continues to put increasing pressure on ad blockers, many users have speculated that the video endings are a deliberate attempt by YouTube to crack down on ad blockers. However, some have pointed out that this is simply an error, as some ad blockers and browsers do not experience this issue.

YouTube later issued a statement to 9to5Google, a technology news site, stressing that the use of ad blockers is a violation of their terms of service, but explaining that the issue may be due to changes YouTube has made to improve performance and is unrelated to their efforts to combat ad blockers.

'Because ad blockers violate our terms of service, we have previously encouraged people to allow ads on YouTube or try our ad-free YouTube Premium to support their favorite creators. However, independently, we are also working to improve performance and reliability, which may not provide an optimal viewing experience for ad blocker users.'

9to5Google said, 'It's likely that YouTube's changes interfered with ad blockers to cause this, but YouTube hasn't directly commented on whether that's the case. A small number of users have said they experienced this issue even though they weren't using ad blockers.'