YouTube steps up crackdown on ad blockers for mobile devices

YouTube is extending its battle against ad blockers to mobile devices by implementing measures to counter the use of ad-blocking software on smartphones and tablets. In a community post on Monday, they said they are strengthening their enforcement on third-party apps that violate YouTube’s terms of service, specifically ad-blocking apps.   

Viewers who are using these third-party apps may experience buffering issues or see the error “The following content is not available on this app” when trying to watch a video.

“We want to emphasize that our terms don’t allow third-party apps to turn off 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. We also understand that some people prefer an entirely ad-free experience, which is why we offer YouTube Premium," they said in the post.  

The post made it clear that YouTube only allow third-party apps to use their API when they follow their 'API Services Terms of Service', and when they find an app that violates these terms, they take appropriate action to protect the platform, creators, and viewers.