Summary
- YouTube is cracking down on apps violating its terms of use, particularly those that block ads.
- These types of apps could now encounter buffering issues and an error message that prevents playback.
- YouTube Premium is an alternative solution but does require a paid subscription.
Over the past year or so, we’ve seen a lot of changes at YouTube, with some having big impacts on the way people enjoy the platform. Since ad revenue is a major part of YouTube, the brand has been quite aggressive in going after those that try and circumvent the system. Towards the end of 2023, it started cracking down on ad blockers, and now, it looks like its trying to put an end to third-party apps that don’t abide by its rules.
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The news comes direct from YouTube’s support page, which has announced that it will begin cracking down on apps that violate its terms of service, specifically those that participate in blocking ads. This isn’t the first time YouTube has taken action against these types of apps, with Vanced being discontinued in 2022. Of course, if you’re not really sure whether your app is going to be affected, you’ll probably find out soon enough just by watching some videos, as you’ll either encounter buffering issues or get an error message that states: “The following content is not available on this app.”
YouTube is getting more aggressive in protecting its ad revenue
Of course, things could always change, with developers getting even more creative to try and find other workarounds. But for now, it looks like apps that aren’t following the guidelines will see some difficulties, or be forced to go with the official YouTube app as a solution. The official YouTube app will provide one of the better experiences, offering a wide range of features, but if you’re looking to go ad-free, you’re going to need to pay up every month and become a YouTube Premium subscriber.
As far as what you get when you go Premium, you won’t see any more ads within the app or the videos that you’re watching. Plus, you’ll gain access to background play, along with being able to download videos on the go. And perhaps what makes this plan even more worthwhile is that you get access to YouTube Music, which features over 100 million commercial free songs. Now, the one drawback is that these features don’t come for free, with a subscription costing $13.99 per month in the US.
But you get a lot of perks, and it offers great value for some, and if you aren’t so sure, you can always sign up for a trial too. Let us know if you’re affected by this in the comments and whether you’ll be converting to YouTube Premium.
Thanks: Moshe