YouTube, the popular video platform, has undergone significant changes over the past year, with some of these changes having a profound impact on the user experience.
As ad revenue plays a key role in YouTube’s business model, the company has taken aggressive measures to combat attempts to undermine the system. In late 2023, YouTube began cracking down on ad blockers and now appears to be targeting third-party apps that violate its terms of use. According to an announcement on YouTube’s support page, the platform will begin cracking down on apps that violate its rules, especially those involved in ad blocking.
This is not the first time that YouTube has taken a stand against such applications, as evidenced by the discontinuation of Vanced in 2022. Users who are not sure if their application will be affected can easily find out by trying to watch videos wherever will experience buffering problems or receive an error message stating: “The following content is not available in this application”.
As YouTube steps up its efforts to secure its advertising revenue, developers may be looking for new ways to find alternatives. However, for now, apps that don’t comply with the guidelines are likely to experience difficulties, with users forced to turn to the official YouTube app as a solution. While the official app offers a comprehensive range of features and provides one of the best user experiences, those looking for an ad-free experience should subscribe to YouTube Premium, which has a monthly fee.
YouTube Premium subscribers enjoy several benefits, such as an ad-free in-app experience as well as the ability to play videos in the background and download them for offline viewing. In addition, the Premium subscription provides access to YouTube Music, which features a library of more than 100 million songs without ads.
However, these functions have their price, with the subscription costing €8.49 per month in our country. Despite the cost, YouTube Premium offers significant value for certain users, and those who are unsure about committing to a subscription can always take advantage of the 1-month trial period.
