YouTube has been actively releasing a series of new features in recent months. The platform recently introduced several enhancements to its Shorts feature and also adjusted the pricing for YouTube Premium plans. According to new reports, users might soon be required to disable their ad blockers or subscribe to YouTube Premium in order to access video content on the platform. YouTube is currently testing a new anti-adblocking feature that will disable video playback.
Countdown to Action
We were initially informed about the platforms’ anti-adblocking feature a few weeks ago, but it appears that YouTube is now making some adjustments to this feature. As reported by Search Engine Land, YouTube is currently conducting tests on a new anti-adblocking popup.
This popup includes a warning message indicating that ad blockers are not permitted on YouTube. It also presents three bullet points, one of which highlights that video playback will be blocked. The other two bullet points serve as reminders that ads contribute to keeping YouTube free and that users have the option to enjoy an ad-free experience by subscribing to YouTube Premium.
In addition to the warnings, the popup also includes a 30-60 second timer located in the top right-hand corner. This timer serves as a countdown clock, indicating the remaining time for the user to take action before the next advertisement is played. At the bottom of the window, two options are provided to remove the popup. Users are required to either allow ads on YouTube or subscribe to YouTube Premium.
Currently, YouTube is reportedly conducting global tests of this feature among select user groups. If you happen to be among those affected, you will be unable to watch videos until either ads are allowed or you become a premium member.
As earlier stated, this is not a recent development, as users have been noticing warning messages as early as June. If you are determined to watch YouTube videos without ads and without subscribing to YouTube Premium, your options are quite limited. Although there are downloader extensions available that allow offline video viewing, it is worth noting that YouTube is also taking measures to address this workaround.
