If you have a problem on YouTube, it may be because of this software

© Presse-citron

Recently, YouTube users have complained about a 5-second delay before videos load on the platform. And some have even indicated that this delay only exists if you watch YouTube on certain browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, but not on Chrome. Faced with this start of controversy, Google reacted. And now we know that this delay observed by some users is linked to ad blockers.

In essence, if you use an ad blocker, it is possible that you will experience malfunctions on the video platform . Here is Google's explanation, relayed by our colleagues at Android Authority: “To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and empower billions of people to access their favorite content on YouTube, we launched an effort to engage viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience. Users with ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing regardless of which browser they use.”

In other words, Google denies accusations that this delay is linked to the use of a browser other than Chrome.

New episode in the fight against ad blockers

< p>It should be remembered that since this year, Google has been cracking down on ad blockers. As our colleagues at The Verge explain, in June, the Mountain View firm began testing a feature that blocks the YouTube video player for adblocker users, to encourage them to take out a Premium subscription or authorize YouTube ads on their adblockers. At first, this only affected a small number of users.

But in October, things got bigger: Google went from a small experiment to “ a global effort”. “When you block ads on YouTube, you violate the YouTube Terms of Service. If you use ad blockers, we'll ask you to allow ads on YouTube or subscribe to YouTube Premium. If you continue to use ad blockers, we may block the playback of your video”, we can also read on a Google help page.

The language used suggests that blocking the YouTube video player is not systematic for people who block YouTube ads. But even if the player continues to work with an ad blocker enabled, it is therefore possible that the user is experiencing bugs.

• Google indicates that users who continue to 'using adblockers can have a “sub-optimal” experience on YouTube
• And this concerns all browsers, even Google Chrome (contrary to what some media have indicated)
• Since this year, the firm is cracking down on ad blockers to encourage users to allow YouTube ads or take out a paid YouTube Premium subscription

156.0 M reviews

[ ]