Google denies slowing down YouTube if you're using ad blockers
Google denies slowing down YouTube if you're using ad blockers
It appears new versions of AdBlock and AdBlock Plus were to blame, but a fix is here
Update 01/17/24: The technology group eyeo, which is responsible for AdBlock and Adblock Plus, has reached out to The Shortcut with the following statement:
“AdBlock and Adblock Plus users have recently experienced a slow down in performance and a higher use of CPU when browsing on YouTube and other websites. Our engineering team fixed the problem and released ABP 3.22.1 and AB 5.17.1,” said Gertrud Kolb, Chief Technology Officer at eyeo.
”The new versions are already available in the Opera and Edge extension stores and are currently in review in the Mozilla and Chrome extension stores. This means the problem is solved and AdBlock and Adblock Plus users should not experience issues that are related to the fixed bug, as soon as their extension is updated to the new version. Our team will closely monitor the situation and is ready to make further adjustments should it become necessary.”
If you’re experiencing any YouTube slowdown when using either of these programs, please make sure you’ve updated to the latest versions.
Original story: Google has denied slowing down YouTube when using an ad blocker after reports suggested it has been throttling the video site to get people to sign up for YouTube Premium.
Several users took to Reddit to highlight the problem, reporting that YouTube was laggy and unresponsive when using an ad blocker, while every other webpage was unaffected.
However, in a statement to Android Central, a YouTube spokesperson said this is not the case. “Recent reports of users experiencing loading delays on YouTube are unrelated to our ad blocker detection efforts. Our help center offers troubleshooting tips for users experiencing issues.”
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: YouTube slowdown update
✋ Google has denied slowing down YouTube
🗣️ The company released a statement refuting the claims
🚫 It appears that new versions of AdBlock and AdBlock Plus are to blame
🙅♂️ Google continues to take steps to stop ad blockers
The developer of uBlock Origin, Raymond Hill, has also weighed in on the issue on X, suggesting the YouTube slowdown is caused by the latest version of AdBlock Plus and AdBlock.
“There is a lot of chatter in the last days about how YouTube is slow with content blockers. Those performance issues affect only the latest version of both AdBlock Plus (3.22) & AdBlock (5.17), and afflict more than just YouTube. uBO is *not* affected.”
Even though Google isn’t responsible for the latest clamp down on ad blockers, that doesn’t mean the company is happy for people to use them on YouTube. Google has been taking steps to dissuade users from installing ad blockers and wants people to pay $13.99 a month for YouTube Premium instead.
Expect Google to implement more measures in the future to combat and detect ad blockers when using YouTube.