YouTube makes users who block ads skip videos to the end, leaving viewers frustrated
YouTube’s crackdown on ad blocker users has taken a new turn, leaving many frustrated as videos mysteriously skip to the end. In recent months, the platform has increased its efforts to discourage the use of ad blockers. Initially, users encountered a prompt urging them to turn off their ad blockers to watch the video. Ignoring these requests results in videos refusing to play altogether, forcing users to uninstall ad blockers or look for alternatives.
Fast forward to the end of the video
However, a new problem emerged this week: YouTube videos suddenly fast-forwarded to their conclusion for many ad blocker users. Whether restarting the video or trying to skip to a specific segment, the result is the same – an immediate jump to the final part. This particular behavior appears to be exclusive to users with ad blockers enabled; When disabled, the video will play smoothly without interruption.
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Endless loading loops
This glitch goes beyond just starting the video, causing users to report endless loading loops when trying to navigate through the video. Speculation arose as to whether YouTube intentionally created these obstacles to discourage the use of ad blockers. While plausible, it’s likely that the problem stems from the ad blockers themselves.
Earlier this year, a bug in AdBlock caused slow video loading speeds, initially caused by YouTube. Interestingly, most of the affected users currently mainly use AdBlock, while other ad blockers do not show any such abnormalities. Although isolated cases exist without ad blockers, they are in the minority.
For affected users, frustration is compounded when videos end prematurely or loop endlessly, making the platform nearly unusable. This dilemma forces a choice between persistent ads by disabling ad blockers or switching to alternatives that do not interrupt viewing.
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In short, whether YouTube addresses these issues or whether they stem from specific ad blockers remains uncertain. What is evident is that users are caught in the crossfire between YouTube and ad blockers, leading to a disrupted viewing experience. For now, disabling the ad blocker seems to be the most practical solution, but caution should be exercised regarding future updates or fixes.
