How to bypass “Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube”?
A couple of months ago, it was reported that Google was testing notifying YouTube users in selected markets about the use of AdBlocks. This ended up with their accounts being temporarily blocked by the service. So it was only a matter of time before these restrictions made their way to our market. Indeed, Google has been battling ad blockers and modified apps in recent years. So far, however, it has been to no avail, and the effect has been rather the opposite.
I’ve received emails and Telegram screenshots from a few readers where there have been warnings and, in one case, a temporary blocking of the account. In all of them the problem was identical, namely the use of various add-ons in Chrome. You can try the Brave browser with the correct settings and add-ons. Personally, I recommend it as well, since Chrome is owned by Google and YouTube is too. So detecting users with blockers is significantly easier. Brave is also significantly more secure according to PrivacyTest.org.
Note on the article:
The article includes screenshots of the watch system and mobile apps. The language in the screenshots is Czech. If you have a smartwatch in English or another language, the language in the apps will be adapted to the one from the watch system.
The article was translated from Czech to English by AI. The original article in English can be found in this article. 😉
Before you continue reading…
Below, I’ve broken down the ways in which ads can continue to be blocked without any problems. It is important to note that YouTube traffic has to be paid for somehow, and ads make money on the traffic. It’s up to you whether it’s morally okay for you to block ads. This article is purely for informational purposes and is not intended to encourage anyone to download and use modified apps.
Do you want to keep blocking ads?
Google is trying to get all users to pay for YouTube Premium. I completely understand that not everyone agrees with this and refuses to pay for YouTube altogether. The same applies to the ads, which are often for fraudulent e-shops and various services. They are also becoming increasingly annoying.
Blocking them remains easy. For desktop, you can reach for the FreeTube app, but I recommend switching to the Brave browser and setting it up properly so that blocking is effective. uBlock Origin’s add-on works great for this, too, allowing you to remove the annoying warning window and then reload the page. You can see the process in the short video below. Ideally, you can use YouTube without logging in.
There are plenty of options for Android phones. The modified YouTube ReVanced app, which is based on the official version of the app but has no ads and more premium features, is gaining more and more interest. However, you can also try out SongTube and more. For iPhones and iPads, there’s the option to watch videos in the Brave browser.
What if the procedure above doesn’t suit me or doesn’t work?
There are more ways to use YouTube without ads for free. You can try the FreeTube app, which is ad-free, completely anonymous and tracking-free. It can also download content. I’ve also written an option to watch 4K video on your computer without paying.
