YouTube is blocking videos for viewers who aren’t even using adblockers
YouTube is reportedly blocking videos for viewers who don’t have any adblockers installed in their browsers whatsoever, leaving them frustrated and looking for answers.
YouTubehas been stepping up its anti-ad game over the last year,slowing down videosand evenoutright blocking its video playerfor users using adblockers to bypass commercials.
The website first rolled out this restriction in summer 2024, sparking outrage among viewers when they were hit with a message urging them to lift adblockers on its platform before proceeding or pay for YouTube Premium.
However, some users say they’re being blocked from watching videos even without having adblockers on their browser, whatsoever.
Some viewers without adblockers can’t watch YouTube videos
A Redditor shared a screenshot of their experience watching YouTube on July 16, which showed the exact same message that pops up for folks with adblockers: “It looks like you may be using an adblocker. Video playback is blocked unless YouTube is allowlisted or the adblocker is disabled.”
The Redditor couldn’t believe their eyes, as they claim they don’t even use adblockers. “Is YouTube daft?” they wrote. “I don’t have any adblockers.”
“It just tells me how to disable adblockers and to refresh,” they added. “I do that and it still pops up. Pretty annoying.”
Other commenters expressed similar sentiments, with one saying they are even using Google Chrome and still experiencing the same issue. “I also removed all adblockers and used Google’s own browser, Chrome, and YouTube is complaining,” they said.
“This error will popup even if you don’t use adblock,” another said. “I’ve seen posts of people getting this error and not using an adblocker.”
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“I actually pay for Premium, and they restricted my account from watching anything for a couple days a while back because I had an adblocker installed. It’s actually insane that they would punish a paying member like that,” yet another claimed.
This is the latest instance of users upset with the platform after users overwhelmingly expressed thatYouTube Shorts should have its own appinstead of being integrated with the regular site.
