I’m sure many of you are already aware that YouTube has been rolling out anti-adblock detection for Chrome users for a few weeks now.
Today, as a long time Firefox user with the fantastic uBlock Origin extension installed, I got my first anti-adblock popup on the platform. Note that this may not happen to you personally for a while, but it is inevitably coming for everyone.
Thankfully, the fine folks at uBlock Origin have already advised a simple workaround (on Reddit, yuck!) which I will duplicate in a simplified form below for your convenience. I have tested it on Firefox and it is working fine for me (so far).
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS POST.
Update uBO to the latest version (1.52.0+) . <== The extension itself, for technical improvements. You do this in your browser.
Remove your custom config / reset to defaults. <== This means removing your custom filters (or disabling My filters) and disabling ALL additional lists you’ve enabled. It might be quicker to make a backup of your config and restore to defaults instead.
Force an update of your Filter Lists. <== This is within the extension. Lists are what determine what’s blocked or not. How to update Filter lists: Click 🛡️ uBO’s icon > the ⚙ Dashboard button > the Filter lists pane > the 🕘 Purge all caches button > the 🔃 Update now button.
Disable all other extensions AND your browser’s built-in blockers. <== No need to uninstall, just disable them. They might interfere with our solutions.
Make sure you follow all 4 points above. If you’re seeing the message, it’s likely due to your custom config (either additional lists or separate filters in My filters).
Restarting your browser afterwards may help too.
Once you’ve gotten rid of the issue on default settings, you can slowly start restoring your config (if you really need it). Do it gradually, to easier find out what was causing the issue in the first place. Once you find the culprit, simply skip it in your config.
If you want to use Enhancer for YouTube*, you have to* disable its adblocking*.*
May the force uBlock Origin be with you!
Update
Just wanted to mention a few things that have been pointed out in the comments:
- There are quite a few projects that provide an alternative ad-free front end to YouTube. These include Invidious, FreeTube, LibreTube, Newpipe, Revanced, and I’m sure there are several more options I’ve missed. I don’t have any particular preference really but I routinely use NewPipe on my cellphone just because I tried it once and couldn’t be bothered trying all the others.
- In step 4 listed above, to clarify, afaik you only need to remove adblocker extensions (if you have more than one installed) that might conflict with the uBlock Origin rules and trigger the anti-adblock, not all extensions.
- If you hate non-stop ads but want to support your favorite content creators then be sure to give them some love on Patreon or whatever alternative options they provide. Creators typically make only a tiny, tiny fraction of what YouTube makes in ad revenue, assuming YouTube doesn’t just outright steal the lot, and it’s a shitty business model that’s ruining the internet. Even if you watch the ads, you’re only supporting YouTube most of the time, not the creators.
I mean, I saw the warnings, but still could close them and keep watching them. Still, I ended up getting Premium to support YT streamers I watch without ads. It’s either that or that YouTube dies with a domino effect on the industry of small time streamers. I watch it far more than Netflix or Disney Plus, and have payed zero cents for the convenience of adblock. I’ll still keep it installed to use with other Google accounts, but I have no problem paying.
I can understand the people that are angry because a service that has been free for so long begins charging, but don’t be disingenuous and begin saying that the service doesn’t cost anything to maintain, or worse, that the whole business model is nonviable when it’s asking about the same for premium as other streaming services that have been having no problem existing, specially when the money coming out of those services should be in recent memory considering it was one of the major points regarding the writer’s strike (getting a cut from streaming).
I don’t mind paying either, but I think that premium is just a bad deal.
It only seems like a bad deal because everything we’ve been getting has been free so far and the content isn’t coming from major Hollywood producers. It’s about on par with Netflix and Disney+, except we consume a lot more of YouTube. I’m pretty sure they are also taking into account that some people will continue adblocking. They need a lot more moderation than Netflix of Disney+ and they have a lot more load on their servers and consumption per user.
As an aside, people can downvote all they want, but if they are really going to push for this, they might better spend their time searching for alternatives that won’t domino alongside YouTube if this is countermovement is really going to be a thing.
If YouTube died, people wouldn’t stop streaming, it would just boost competitors and/or open the possibility for new platforms to come into existence.
Oh, and regarding the “Update”, most of those are still relying on YT hosting, and the independent exceptions aren’t dealing with even a fraction of the bandwidth or moderation costs, never mind actually paying content creators for their content. Yes, this is a piracy community, I just tend to mind it more when the content creators being affected aren’t Hollywood.